To Tangle The Strands Of Fate
by Sakrua
Summary: Li is Inuyasha's son, only he dosent know him cause to protect him Inuyasha left Li to be raised by sombody else.Li's adventures meeting some people from his dads past and creating his own ledgend...R
1. A Day Of Beginnings And Of Ends

Disclaimer; don't own it tears up are you happy now?

CHAPTER 1

A DAY OF BEGINNINGS AND OF ENDS...

Inuyasha opened his eyes, only to see Kagome beside him. He smiled to himself. Every morning for the past two weeks, and he was never going to get tired of it. Waking up to see her beside him, right where, in his opinion, she belonged, where she would always belong.

_After all we went through, killing Naraku, putting the jewel together, not to mention the many demons that have come up against us even after all of that! We deserve this; above all, this is what we need. _

The thought that he would never again have to face Naraku in battle, never again risk losing Kagome or any of his friends in battle, was almost too good to be true. He sat up and looked down to Kagome, her eyes were shut and the little bit of light that poured in from the window was reflected in her jet black hair. As if she could feel his gaze, her eyes opened,

"Morning Inuyasha." she whispered to him, giving him a soft smiled, one which he returned,

"Mornin love." He whispered, and then he remembered what day it was, and bent down to kiss her on the fore head, "Better get up now! Sango and Miroku's baby is due any time now." Kagome blinked,

"Your right, she went into labor already?" He nodded,

"Yeah, about 6 hours ago give or take, her damn screaming woke me up!" Kagome hit Inuyasha lightly on the chest,

"Baka! Why didn't you wake me up?" he shrugged,

"S'not like you missed anything! The kid won't come for at least a few more hours!" he snapped rubbing the spot she had hit, "Oi, that hurt wench!" he added as she rolled her eyes and got out of bed,

"Oh don't be a baby Inuyasha!" she said, he gave her a growl then stood up himself,

"Hey, since you turned into a hanyou like me, you haven't been so weak, so I'll repeat, that hurt!" Kagome laughed,

"And now I'll repeat, don't be a baby!" and with that she hurried from the room to Sango.

Inuyasha smiled wryly in her direction, yeah, this was how he wanted it to be. When they were together like that, things just seemed to fit. Or you could call it a feeling of finally _belonging _to something. Or fitting in, being settled and happy in his form. Feeling rather free all and all. No matter how you described it, Inuyasha hadn't felt this good for a long time.

_I guess I missed it. _He thought, _missed the feeling that I was someone who mattered, like if I was gone, I would **be** missed. I really like the way it feels to be like this. Free. Free of curses, hard choices, battles, responsibilities. Everything! _ Smiling to himself, he went to check and see how Miroku was handling the stress of waiting for his unborn child.

_I bet he's about to freakin' kill someone to see what is going on in there!_ Inuyasha thought to himself, a tad bit amused at the monk's pains. _But I spose when the little one is born it'll be worth it. _ He thought smiling again, yeah, probably...

Inuyasha's guess about Miroku was totally correct, the monk was really stressed. He stood on the porch of the little birthing hut, pacing back and forth, back and forth. Inuyasha sighed,

"Careful Monk! You're going to wear a hole in the brand new porch I just laid out yesterday!" Inuyasha snapped playfully.

Miroku said nothing. Just glared at Inuyasha and continued his pacing. Shrugging his shoulders Inuyasha leaned against the railing of the porch and listened to the goings on inside. After about 2 minutes, Miroku seemed to become fed up with Inuyasha's calm demeanor and snapped at him,

"How can you just sit there like this is nothing?" Inuyasha opened one of his eyes and raised a brow,

"How? Cause I can hear what's going on in there that's how!" he said with a slight chuckle to his voice, Miroku gaped at him,

"Y, You WHAT!? Why didn't you say something sooner!?" Inuyasha shrugged,

"You didn't act interested." He said simply, Miroku's eye twitched,

"Are you crazy?" he asked almost too breathless for words, Inuyasha smiled to him,

"You wanna hear it or what?" Miroku nodded,

"Yeah, of course go on!" Inuyasha nodded, and then began to speak rather quickly,

"Ok, well Kagome was just telling Sango that it will only be a few more hours till we have a baby comin so not too much more of a wait, also she is a bit farther along than is to be expected so they think it's gonna be a big kid, as far as Sango's health she is really uncomfortable, but she'll be fine, and it will only get worse so she should prepare for that, you'll be let in when she goes into real labor got all this monk?" Miroku looked a bit over whelmed but nodded,

"Yeah, I, I think I do." he said shaking his head, "Just tell me if anything big happens, ok?" Inuyasha nodded and then sat back against the railing once more.

"Man I'm so glad that this will be so easy when Kagome has her baby." Miroku spun,

"What was that Inuyasha?" Inuyasha opened his eyes and blinked,

"Oh, well what I meant was that since I can just listen in, I won't be-"

"No, the other part!"

"Oh, yeah, when Kagome has her baby." Miroku just stared,

"And when pre-tell would that be?" Inuyasha shrugged,

"Well it takes them 9 months right?" Miroku nodded, "Then, well, about 7 more months I expect!" he said smiling. Miroku again just stared,

"Dose she know any of this?" Inuyasha shook his head,

"Nope." Miroku looked at him a bit longer than smiled,

"You are such a dog Inuyasha!" he yelled rolling his eyes,

"No more than you!" Inuyasha said right back, and grinned in return. The two smiled to each other,

_yeah, _thought Inuyasha, _this is defiantly how things should be!_

A few hours later, Sango was a very happy mother, and Miroku the proudest father alive. Kagome glowed with pleasure for the happy couple, now a very happy family with their baby boy in Sango's arms. Inuyasha smiled over to Kagome,

"They look really happy, I envy them." Kagome whispered to him, he nodded,

"I don't." she looked up to him, he was smiling down at her very softly, "I have something better, you." He whispered, kissing her deeply.

_Gods this is how it should be. _Kagome thought to herself as she wrapped an arm around Inuyasha's waist, and just laid her head on his chest.

_Perfect. _She thought, _just plain perfect..._

The days passed very quickly after that moment, a week seemed to be a second for them all. Especially Kagome, the huge festival of the New Year was about to begin, and she was really excited, and stressed to boot! Her body seemed to be stretched to its limits and beyond! But she would live.

However, her running around seemed to cut down on her time with Inuyasha as well, something he seemed to have been able to have done without. He didn't say anything to her though; he would let her off, this time. He still slept with her every night so he was happy. (I mean NEXT to her perv's!)

Little did they know that the closer they came to the day of the festival, the closer to the end they were...

Finally! Kagome had waited for this day since last week!!!!! All the hard preparations and the like were finally done with, and finally she would be able to spend some time with Inuyasha. As she walked through the little village looking for the dog boy in question, she gazed fondly at the work being done all around her. Most of the women were inside on particular hut, baking their hearts out. Others were gathering more food from the fields; a few men were working on the fields themselves. And then there were those people who were working on the place in the center of the village were the festivities as well as the grand meal were to take place later this night. That is were she found her dog boy.

Grinning Kagome ran over to him,

"Hey Inuyasha!" she called, he looked over to her from where he was working, grinning in return,

"Lo there Kagome, what are you doing over here?" she shrugged,

"I finished all I had to do and came looking for you!" she said he nodded,

"I'll be right over!" he replied, and then finished putting up the wall he had been working on.

After Inuyasha was done working he and Kagome headed off to see the rest of the village. As the two walked hand in hand, they began to talk.

"So, you finally decided to help out with preparations then?" Kagome asked teasingly, Inuyasha scoffed,

"Feh! Yeah, you might call it that! But in truth I really just got board." Kagome smiled, and shrugged,

"I really don't care what it took, just as long as you did help out!" he nodded and then he turned to look up at the sky,

"Kagome, what happens after this?" he asked, Kagome blinked,

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha's eyes softened,

"Exactly what I said, what happens after all of this?" Kagome shrugged,

"I don't know." She replied, "What do you want to happen?" he didn't reply, instead he just squeezed her hand and continued to walk, leaving his question hanging in the air between them...

The festival was in full swing, and Kagome was thoroughly enjoying herself. She walked form booth to booth trying different activities and the like, laughing all the time. Inuyasha was by her side smiling and laughing with her. The night's joy and happy mood betrayed the path it was soon to take.

It was when the banquet started that Fate pulled the strings. Inuyasha sat beside Kagome smiling and teasing her about something, when he felt a presence enter the village, frowning, he excused himself, and went to check this out.

As he left the table Kagome looked after him, and it was at that moment she felt like running after him, but for some reason, she couldn't. Something in her was also saying 'stay' so she did. Alas, Fate had pulled another string here.

Inuyasha looked around himself; he was at the northern side of the village. There was no one there, but the presence remained, it only took him a moment more to recognize the presence.

Sesshomaru.

"What exactly are you doing here?" Inuyasha asked into the darkness. Though he and Sesshomaru had made a pack to deal with each other, his elder brother hardly ever came near him.

_What could he want?_

Sesshomaru stepped into the moon light, a small frown across his face.

"I'm afraid I bring bad news to you Inuyasha, news I am sure you could quite live without, but news you must hear none the less." A cold shiver went up Inuyasha's spine at those words, and he was sure he would never forget them...

How right he was...

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Inuyasha yelled at Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru nodded solemnly.

"I'm afraid so." He said, Inuyasha was trembling, "You have two choices." Sesshomaru continued, but Inuyasha cut him off,

"You're right, either tell Kagome about this and risk her and my unborn kids life, or not and save them both." Inuyasha whispered. Then he smiled wryly, "Really, I don't have a choice." Sesshomaru was silent...

It was midnight when Inuyasha came into Kagome's room; he kissed her on the forehead,

"I'll miss ya, please forgive me..." he sighed and left disappearing into the night....

"Why would he do this?" Kagome yelled, Miroku shrugged,

"I don't know my lady." He said but there was a definite burning anger in his eyes, "I only know why he wouldn't have!" Kagome looked to Miroku,

"Is there something I should know?"

"Kagome, you are with child." She just stared at him. Then fainted...

When Kagome woke Sango was beside her,

"What will you do now?" Kagome shrugged,

"I don't know, I can't stay here, too many memories, not to mention I couldn't burden you. I think there is only one place for me to go..."

"Thank you, I hope I won't be a burden to you."

"No way Kagome, it won't be a problem." He said smiling, and then hugged her tight; Kagome nodded and began to cry into Kouga's chest...

And Fate pulled again...

AN: Phew! Whoa! That was a lot of twists in one chappie! Well not much to say except please review now! Thanx! And thank you LionnesisRin for the pic!


	2. Thats How Life Goes Learn To Duck The Bl...

An: ok, so this is chappie two right? Well I have only had 3 count em two reviews, if I don't get more this time I will not update! There are those special people who did review, I love you three, and you of course know who you are, I'll give a better thanx later!

Disclaimer: If I owned it I wouldn't be here.

**CHAPTER 2**

**THAT'S HOW LIFE GOES**

**LEARN TO DUCK THE BLOWS...**

Inuyasha smiled to himself,

"Kouga huh?" He asked, a very sobered Miroku sat across from him.

"Inuyasha, I apologize for being so judgmental, I really didn't things had gotten so serious." He said with earnest, Inuyasha shrugged,

"No worries, I really didn't expect less." Then he looked away from him, "Less of her though, I thought she'd stay here, but it's probably better that she didn't, if someone DID find out about her, well this is where they'd look." Now he looked to Miroku again, "Well, when did she leave?" Miroku shrugged,

"Same night you did." Inuyasha nodded,

"Then the baby is due any time now right?" Miroku nodded wordlessly,

"Want some more ice Inuyasha?" he asked in an almost guilty voice, Inuyasha gave him a frown.

When Inuyasha had shown up today Miroku had almost beat him unconscious. Almost. Inuyasha had barely been able to stop the monk from finishing the job long enough to explain the circumstances of his sudden, and moderately unexplained departure. When he had though, Miroku had given him a load of apologies and some ice for his battered head.

"You won't tell her about this will you monk?" Inuyasha asked suddenly, sharpness to his voice that Miroku hadn't heard since the days of them fleeing from Naraku. It was a cold sounding tone though, just as cold if not colder than he remembered.

"Never Inuyasha, not if you don't want me to of course."

"I don't." he replied flatly. And then he stood, "I do have a job to do still, I have to protect Kagome, even if she-" here he paused, "even if she doesn't love me anymore..." he trailed off, and then began to walk away, suddenly he couldn't stand to look Miroku in the face, he knew that Miroku held the true answer to that rhetorical question in his eyes. He would tell Inuyasha what he really didn't want to hear... that she really still did love him, more that anything, she still did love him. And that was one thing that he really couldn't face up to. He couldn't hear that she didn't hate him, not and keep doing what was best for her.

So it was silently that he left the little village.

Kouga stood outside of his den, inside, he could feel Kagome going into labor, he could smell everything that was hidden by the rocks.

But he could also feel another presence near by, though as to who it _truly_ was he had no clue. The sent reminded him of Mutt Face however. In which case he should probably get ready to fight and attack the dog brain as soon as he could find him. He couldn't define the sent though. Cursing to himself, he headed back inside the den. If it was Inuyasha, Kouga doubted that he was stupid enough to come too awful close,

"even he's not _that _stupid, let's hope." Kouga muttered to himself.

Inuyasha listened to Kagome having her baby. His baby. _Their _baby. Not his. That was wrong, it wasn't his, he had given it up, unfortunately, he knew that he couldn't ever be the one to riase the little boy. And it was a boy. Smiling to himself he listened at he heard the child take its first breath, and cried out. But no other cries came form him. Inuyasha smiled to himself, closing his eyes.

_That is my little boy. Mine. My pup, he's right in there, I wonder how big he is, how much does he weigh? What does he look like? _ Suddnely a sent his Inuyasha's nose, he stiffened and spun around to see Kouga coming around the corner.

Inuyasha growled at him, tensing up to fight, but koua made no move to attack. Instead he just looked at Inuyasha, with a very thoughtful look on his fave.

"Inuyasha, what exactally are you doing here?" Inuyasha glared at him,

"I can be here if I want! He's my freakin kid!" he snarled, Kouga remained standing there.

"Inuyasha, I don't know what you were thinking when you left Kagome, and I truly don't care, better for me anyway. But if you didn't care about her, then you wouldn't be here. You wouldn't be here to hear your kid be born." Kouga frowned to himself, "So, what is going on with you?"

Inuyasha said nothing, instead he just looked away, after a moments silent he whispered,

"Tell Kagome to name him Li ok?" Kouga frowned,

"Bu-" Kouga started,

"NO!" inuyasha snapped, "Can you do that Kouga?" Kouga blinked, that was the first time Inuyasha had actually used his real name, he must be serious.

"Yes, I can, but I really want to know what is going on." Inuyasha said nothing and began to walk away. Kouga frowned again, "Inuyasha!" Inuyasha stopped, but didn't turn. "Do you want to see him?" he asked, Inuyasha stiffened and nodded. Kouga nodded, as well behind his back, "I'll be right back." He whispered, and then was gone.

He came back about two minutes later, a small bundle in hand. Iuyasha looked at the bundle of blankets that Kouga held out to him, he took it.

With a gentleness that belied his strength and demonic nature, he pulled the blankets away just a little bit to reviel a baby face. Two white dog ears perched themselves on top of his little head, and a small hand reached up to Inuyasha. His heart stopped, and then he allowed the little hand to wrap around one of his fingers. For being so little Li's grip was strong, Inuyasha smiled down at him softly.

Mentally he berated himself,

_You shouldn't be here, you aren't going to be here to see him grow up, not see him take those first steps, or say his first word. None of it. What exactly are you thinking?_

Inuyasha chuckled to himself. He knew what he was thinking,

_If I can just see him, just this once, maybe I'll feel better about all of this. _

He sighed, knowing already that was no where near true, but still, the thought itself was comforting somehow.

Almost in slow motion he handed little Li back to Kouga who took him. Inuyasha then grabbed Kouga's wrist and twisted it cruely,

"If you EVER let anything happen to him, I will kill you, no matter what the situation, you will die if you let harm come to that little one." Here he pulled Kouga's face closer to his own, "Got that wolf crap?" Kouga nodded tightly, him face contorted with the pain of Inuyasha's hold on him.

"Yeah, I get it! Now let me g-" he stopped, Inuyasha was gone...

Kagome smiled down at little Li as Kouga brought him back into her,

"Hey, there you two are, where did you take him Kouga?" Kouga kissed her forehead and shrugged,

"Just outside, don't worry." She smiled,

"Oh, I didn't, did he like the little trip?" Kouga looked thoughtful,

"Yeah, I think he did. I really do." he whispered, handing Kagome her little baby boy.

Kouga stood up then looking down at his little make shift family, Kagome still beautiful as ever, and the little boy in her arms, already taking after his father in looks. They were a sight to behold.

_And hopefully his looks is the only thing that Li gets._

_Gods mutt face, what the hell were you thinking leaving this girl? You must have been crazy..._


	3. The Protector In The Shadows

AN: Sorry every body for the REALLY long delay, very, very sorry, but than for waiting!

**CHAPTER 3**

**THE PROTECTOR IN THE SHADOWS...**

Young Li grew quickly, but that speed was almost doubled for Inuyasha.

There was one thing about him though, that would remain forever childish, his face. Like his father, he had gained the puppy dog ears on his head, and a seemingly boyish face. Great when you're two, not so great when you're 20. But Li was only two now, running about the den, and out of it. The pack protected him as if he was their own. Partially due to an incident that had occurred last winter...

Being the half demon that he was Li developed a bit faster than most little ones, and so he could walk by one, really, _really_ well. Well enough in fact, to be able to get away from the wolf that was taking care of him at that time. Kagome herself was in a town visiting Sango and Miroku.

When the little Li managed to lose his guardian he had immediately run into a forest that was near by. A forest that was full to brimming with things bigger than him.

Inuyasha had been watching from near by and had run out to save his young son before he was killed. He came just in time, a demon was just about to rip into Li, god knows why.

Inuyasha slid side ways into the clearing slashing through the demon with his claws. He sighed with relief when his nose and ears told him Li was just fine. But he also knew that Li couldn't be allowed to see his face. Smiling softly to him self he sighed,

_Is this how it's going to be for me now? _

And then with demon speed he spun and picked Li up from behind.

"You, young man, are far from your den, that isn't safe." He said with a soft reprimanding tone, Li's ears twitched,

"I am?" he asked innocently, Inuyasha smiled, as innocent as he sounded, it was really just mischievousness that Inuyasha heard.

_He's _**way**_ too much like me! _

Instead of answering he took Li back to near the den. He put him down on the ground at the foot of the den, then turned his back to Li,

"Now Li, I am going to trust you to go right back inside, and wait for your mother there ok?"

"Aww, but it's no fun in there! And I miss my mom and dad." Inuyasha flinched, Li meant Kouga when he said dad. That hurt, but like so many other times before this, he hid his emotions.

"Where's your dad?" he asked, despite himself,

"Mom said he left before I was born." Inuyasha almost choked,

"Then why do you still miss him?" he asked,

"Cause, I really just do that's all. I bet he was great, he would have had to be, for mom to choose him instead of Kouga." Inuyasha smiled at that,

"Well I bet...he, he misses you too, now I'm gonna trust you to go inside that den ok? I know what it is to be pent up inside for a long time, but be patient and one day you can do whatever you want ok? Don't disappoint me Li." He said, and then he was gone.

He had watched as Li had gone right back into the den, he smiled to himself,

"My son." He whispered to himself, and then he had gone to find the idiot wolf that had lapsed in his attention to Li.

By the time Kouga found that particular wolf, he was laying at the side of a stream, bloody, beat up, and half dead. In the sand beside him, words were written.

'I told you what I would do if he was hurt- this is a warning, I am still here.'

Kouga knew what it meant, but just to keep Kagome from worrying, he said nothing of it. And he told the wolf never to speak of the encounter to anyone. Ever.

Ever since that day, Kagome hardly ever left the den, actually, never again. Li was kept with her, and any wolf that did baby sit him was _extra _careful.

And so the years passed, Inuyasha kept up his silent and unnoticed watch of the little family. How much time he spent watching Li was debatable. Even to him.

He didn't spend every day there, and yet any time he was needed, he was there. Not that Li ever knew, nor did anyone else for that matter. No, he kept all of what he did a _very_ secure secret, and no one but himself truly knew what happened in those days.

And from his position in the shadows, he didn't miss much. He saw Li take those first steps, speak those first words. Growl for the first time, at Kouga no less. (secretly Inuyasha had really enjoyed that).

But when Li was nine, Inuyasha had to spend less and less time there. The reason? well to put it plainly, the kid was _good_. And all too often he found Inuyasha sent among trees and the like.

Luckily he was young and so he could be distracted long enough for Inuyasha to get away. But still, he couldn't spend as much time there after that. And time continued to pass.

Fate was still for those years...

Li yawned as he woke up from his very deep sleep. He opened his eyes to see the sun hadn't yet risen; he smiled to himself and stretched widely. He was careful however not to wake anyone around him.

He glanced over to where his mother slept, she was there, by herself, only little Anè beside her, curled up like the little 5 year old that she was, tail wrapped up to her nose. He smiled softly at them, and then scowled to see that Kouga was _not _with them.

_Can't he just stay there one morning? _ Li thought.

It had occurred to him that he ran off every morning as well, but his mother didn't mind if he was back soon enough. Kouga however she liked to wake up next to. Or at least she always said that. Li on the other hand, at sixteen Kagome trusted him to take care of himself, and she was right to. Before he could continue to think all of this through however, one of the wolves moved in his sleep. Sighing Li headed out the mouth of the den.

_Better get out of here before one of them wakes up! _He thought to himself, _god knows if they find me now they'll never leave me alone._

Li walked out into the early morning, smiling and taking a deep breath of the cool crisp air. Dew still collected on the grass at the bottom of the water fall that protected his home from view. Silently he jumped from his perch at the top of the falls and down to the ground. He landed walking. As soon as he entered the forests on the other side of the pool in front of him, a wolf as tall as his waist joined him.

"_**Good morning Li, you are up early, again."** _The wolf said telepathically. Li grinned,

"Sooner I get up, the sooner I get out." He replied, "Besides Kyto, you're up just as early as I am."

"_**Only to keep you out of trouble Little One, you know that."** _Li rolled his eyes.

Ever since he could remember, Kyto had been with him. He was bonded to this wolf demon who was different than Kouga, he was always in a Wolven form, and was called a Wolven rather than a Wolf Demon. The story his mother told him was that one day when he had wandered off by himself he had run into a demon that for what ever reason had decided to kill him. Eat him, whatever. And when the demon was about to tackle him, Kyto had rescued him, and the two had been bonded ever since.

Secretly Li thought he might know why the demon had wanted him dead. His father.

He knew very little about this demon, half demon he was told. A dog half demon that his mother had fallen in love with, and who had abandoned him before Li was born.

This story was all he knew of his biological father; his mother never said another word about him.

_I think it's too painful for her, I bet she really still loves him..._

Li was thinking this over as he headed off into a special region of Kouga's lands. One that not even _Kouga_ really went into very often. It was just plains, as far as the eye could see, no person would be stupid enough to ever attack from such a place so Kouga kept it practically unguarded.

Even as time passed he had found that when wolves noticed that he was spending more time there than they cared to, they gave him total watch. In normal wolf society, that shouldn't have been done, but at the time Li and Kouga had gotten along well enough.

Presently however, that wasn't the case.

Right now he and Kouga got along just about as well as a cat and a mouse. Most of it was blamed just on the fact that Li was a dominate person by nature, what wolves called 'Alpha in training' so they said it was to be expected that the two didn't always get along or agree.

However, after every argument that he and Kouga had in the vicinity of the pack -and considering how loud their shouts could get that meant basically _every _argument they got into- Li had noticed that sometimes he could hear the words, 'just like he and Inuyasha' or, 'just like his father' sometimes he even got odd looks from some of the pack.

From these odd occurrences, he had only gained that his father's name was Inuyasha. A detail about the man that his mother had never confided.

Li jumped up onto a rocky island like formation on the great plains. He smiled to himself, only he knew of the place where he now lay. He had decided to call it _Abrain Irises_ which meant auburn eyes. After his mothers brown eyes. It was the least he could do after the fact that he had scared her so many times by running away to here.

He chuckled to himself,

"I wonder what time I'll be home tonight?" he mused, he never knew anymore.

Never. Nor was he consistent with the time. Sometimes he didn't leave the den at all, other times he left and didn't come back until long after dark. However, his mother hardly ever got really angry with him.

Sighing to himself, Li closed his eyes and began to dwell on the real problem at hand. His dream. For as long he could remember he'd been having it. Not every night of course, but when he did dream it was the only one.

The dream basically went like this...

A smaller version of himself stood in front of the den, looking up on a figure that was almost too blurred to be seen.

"Don't disappoint me Li, ok?" and that was all that happened, after that moment, he would wake.

Li let out his breath slowly,

_It makes no sense, who the heck is that guy, what did he mean, 'don't disappoint me?' it really makes no sense at all! I don't understand it, and that is frustrating as is!_

Li frowned and laid back, putting his hands behind his head,

_Enough of this! I am not going to understand it by torturing myself with it! Anyway, I have better things to think about, one of which is what I am going to do with myself._

This was another thing Li was beginning to worry about. The worse he and Kouga got along, the harder it was to obey all of the guidelines and rules he was supposed to follow. Not to mention the fact that if he had the chance -and if it wouldn't bother his mother as much as he knew it would- he would have over thrown Kouga ages ago. He had the strength to; he had for a long time.

_The more we fight the more bossy he gets, and I know I get shorter tempered with all of it. I snapped at my mother only a few days ago! _

The only reason that Li had stayed with the pack as long as he had was because of his mother and Anè. His younger half sister. Anè was only about five and she had been born around when Li was 11, and was the one person in the world he trusted above all others. Not to mention no matter what happened she never picked sides in an argument, not his, not her fathers.

"**_Speaking of Little Anè, Li you were supposed to meet up with her a while ago weren't you?" _** Came Kyto's voice in his mind, he blinked, and then jumped up, his eyes wide,

"Oh crap! She's gonna kill me!" then he jumped up and ran towards the bathing pools. Surly that's where she would be.

He had planned to play hooky with Anè; he would spend some quality time with her today, _and_ get her out of a bath.

It only took him a moment to reach the baths. He walked into the hidden place that was shrouded by a line of trees. He could already hear his half sisters cries of anger and god knows what else.

He walked up to the baths to see three women struggling with his younger sister. He sighed, rolling his eyes and headed over to where Ane's clothes lay. He picked them up, along with a towel, and then headed over to the little demon herself.

Quick as lightning he scooped her up from where she was held between the women, and then wrapped her up in the towel.

"Come on wretch, get dried off will ya?" he asked flicking her nose playfully. The five year old squealed with glee and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"YAY!" she yelled, the other woman in the pool scowled. For some reason they saw her behavior as unruly and indecent. He found their behavior disgusting and wrong. Still he gave his sister a warm smile then looked to them,

"My mother wants to see her." He said, giving a simple explanation, one woman glared at him,

"Oh Li, you know that's not true, and so do we!" she snapped, Li raised an eye brow,

"Oh do you?" he asked cocking his head, a small smile on his lips,

"Yes! And we also know that you are just trying to save you little sister from a bath that she _desperately _needs, and those if I recall correctly were your mothers _true_ instructions!" she said with an heir of snobby know-it-all like tone.

"Oh, is that right?" He asked, obviously rather amused,

"Yes, that is right! You know it as much as I do, you only do this to anger Kouga, like the little immature puppy that you have become, you have NO respect for what he does for you, nor what we've all done for you! In fact, you don't have respect for anyone! Least of all Kouga and he's your father!" Li's smile disappeared.

"Is that what you think?" he said softly. Everyone heard the change in Li's tone, and all eyes went wide. Anè stopped drying herself off to listen more closely.

Li stood up, his eyes emotionless, but cold.

"Well, that's all very interesting but when it all comes down to it you've got it backwards. I do NOT do this to anger Kouga, I'm more creative that that, I do this because I love my little sister. And if you ask me, _you_ seem to be the one who has no respect cause the last time I looked _I _am a bit higher up the latter than you are. And lastly, Kouga is _not _my father; he never was and never will be! My father's name was INUYASHA got that? Not Kouga, it never was Kouga, and I'll tell you that you make that mistake again, there WILL be consequences." He snarled the last part, making everyone wince.

And then with one swift movement, he picked up his sister and walked away...

-------------

"Li, are you alright?" Anè asked him, the two sat beside a stream, Li inhaled deeply, then smiled to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, sorry; I didn't mean to lose control like that." Anè shrugged,

"S' ok, I don't mind, those ladies called my daddy your daddy, they should know better. They know you hate that you know? They were talking about it once, they said, 'he hates Kouga being called his father, can you believe that' and 'ungrateful to Kouga that's all he is'." She said, and then looked to Li, he smiled,

"Yeah, that sounds about right, what else do people say?" he asked, sounding more resigned than angry.

"Oh, just what they have always said, 'just like his dad, a trouble maker' and things like, 'never will be fit to take Kouga's place'." She said, and then added, "I disagree, you are a great leader, and they know it, they just don't like your dad."

The two were silent for a moment, the things she had said hanging between them, and then her head shot up,

"OH! And there was a new one yesterday! A few women had a conversation that I eavesdropped on, it went like this, and mind you I have no idea who was saying all this,

"_At least he's not a hanyou too, that would have been terrible."_

"_Are you sure? At least he would be weak then!"_

"_Are you kidding? Do you even know who his father is? It's Inuyasha, you know, the legendary Inuyasha. The half demon that killed Naraku, yeah THAT guy. No matter how much of him is demon, with a father like that, he would have been strong no matter what." _

Anè stopped there,

"And that was all I heard before they caught my sent and stopped talking." She finished, looking right at Li who was looking away, then he turned and grinned at her,

"Well, that explains a lot! Come on kid, you said that you had something to show me?" he asked, Anè brightened and nodded,

"Yeah, follow me!" she said, Li nodded and stood following his sister into the woods.

And just like so many times before, he masked his true emotions and did what was needed.

_So many times before. _He thought to himself, _Too many..._

------------

Anè led Li to a hidden part of the woods, a clearing hidden by a thick line of trees. Protecting it from the outside world. Inside the clearing, there lay a little mini pack of pups.

Anè rushed over to the pups that crowded around her, their blind eyes smelling her. She smiled up to Li,

"I found them here a few days ago, I fed them but now I'm out of ideas, and I can't keep them here Li, I don't know what to do." Li bent down and picked up one of the pups and sniffed it delicately.

"Their mothers been gone for days, a week even," He shook his head, "they were defiantly abandoned." He said Anè nodded,

"So what do I do?" she asked, Li frowned, then an idea hit him.

"Pick one of the pups, ok?" she looked up to him, and then shrugged and crawled among the pups, looking for the one she liked best.

After a few moments, she touched noses with a pure white wolf pup, a girl. Ane's eyes widened,

"This is the one LI, I'm positive." She said softly, Li smiled and nodded,

"Right, well take that one and what you are going to do is take that one to mother and she's gonna convince Kouga to take it in ok?" he said,

"What about the others?" Anè asked, Li shrugged,

"I'll put them on one of Kouga's hunting paths and when he takes it he'll come upon them and probably never be the wiser alright?" Anè nodded,

"Sounds like a plan to me, now what though?" Li smiled,

"Now we are going to get that little wolf washed off, that way she doesn't smell like other pups ok?" Anè grinned and the two headed off to a near by river.

So by the end of the day, Anè still got her bath, and so did the little pup that Anè called Alva, meaning 'pure white one'. The day was a happy one, none of the three finding anything to complain about.

It was about nine at night when Li finally got Anè home. The two were tired but nothing else was wrong with them.

After hugging Anè, Kouga turned to Li, who was just about to leave the cave, trying in vain to avoid the confrontation that seemed to be coming.

"A little _late _aren't we Li?" he asked sharply, Li sighed visibly,

"Maybe, but what-"

"You know Li, I really have learned to expect you to be late, and truly I don't really care, as long as you come home. Though sometimes that doesn't even happen, but I try to just let it go. What I can't let go is you keeping _Anè_ out all night!"

"It wasn't all night, just a couple hours after dark, and even if I did keep her out all night, I would protect her, or do you not trust me?" Li snapped back, Kouga growled,

"No frankly I don't trust you with my daughter." At this Li snarled,

"Just because you hated my dad doesn't mean you can hate me Kouga, or distrust me!"

"I can do whatever I want Li, I'm leader, now shut up and do as your told!" Kouga yelled,

"Kouga, you are the leader of a wolf pack, and I have never been and never will be a wolf, so as far as I'm concerned, you can keep your stupid pack! I want no part of it!" he yelled, and with that he spun around pushed past Kagome and left the den. Kouga glared at his back.

_Just like his father. _He thought.

Kagome looked over to Kouga, her eyes narrowing,

"Kouga, feel free to sleep outside tonight!" she said coldly, he blinked, and then looked away,

"Peh." He muttered, but left.

"Oh gods," Kagome whispered to herself, "What has begun here?"

Li had run all the way to _Auburn Irises_, just to escape. Kyto now lay beside him,

_Now, I can't go back Kyto, never, and I really don't want to._

_**Then don't, Little One, you have long since had the power to leave this place, and you have. **_

_And I gained an enemy on the fist day. Besides, what about Anè, and mom?_

_**They only wish for your happiness. What do you expect?**_

_I don't know what I expect, that my friend is not clear..._

Li straitened,

"There is just so much out there, what exactly am I supposed to accomplish here?"

"Well, nothing that I can think of." Came a voice behind him, he spun, it was a bird demon, with a human looking body, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you, you could waste me anyway, I just over heard you Li and I-"

"How do you know my name?" She smiled,

"I know your father, how else?"

"You do?"

"Yes, he's pretty famous you know, or do you?"

"Not really, sorry to disappoint you............ What is he like?" The demon smiled,

"That young Li, you must go out and find for yourself, your past his here, but your future lies beyond." She whispered and then she was gone...

_She is right I think. _

_**Yes, I agree with you, she is... **_

_It's decided, then you and I set out tomorrow..._

_**Yes Little One, tomorrow....**_

__

That morning, LI got up really early,

_Kyto, go get the pups in that clearing I described to you, set them on a hunting path, then take Kouga on that path. After you get him far enough along, come join me. _

_**What are you going to do?**_

_Talk to my mother about something. See you soon..._

Li walked up the den, his mother sat there inside, then entire pack was gone,

"Good morning Li, Kyto came and said something about a 'great hunt', they are gone now." Li nodded,

"I know." He said simply, Kagome frowned,

"How?"

"It was my idea." He replied, Kagome suddenly recognized his expression, just like his fathers, he was going to ask her something she didn't want to answer.

"Mom, listen, I am going to leave ok? And can't promise I'll return soon, but before I go I really want to know something more about my dad." she closed her eyes, but nodded.

"I always knew you would do this some day, you are just like him you know, and not just in looks, you have his pride." She whispered, and then went over to were her bed was, and pulled out a box.

She opened it and pulled two things out, a cloth of some kind and a piece of paper.

"Li, this was your fathers, take it, it will keep you safe." She handed him a red Haori. He nodded; the second thing was a picture.

In it, there was a woman with long brown hair pulled back, she had a smile and was leaning into the arms of another man, he wore robes and held a staff. Beside them a large cat like thing had a small fox child on its back, in front of them an old woman, and then there were two others.

The girl, he could only imagine, was his mother, though she looked much younger. She was being held bridle style in the arms of another man.

His father.

People had always said he was just like him in looks, but this was just plain scary. Almost identical. He was just staring at it for a moment, almost mesmerized.

_This is him, my father, Inuyasha. Gods, we look just like each other, except he has a sword and he looks a bit older than me._

"Li, if you go please be careful, please, you are always going to be my baby, don't leave me Li ok?" he nodded, and then grinned at her.

"Don't worry, I won't." he said, and then hugged her hard. "I'm not him mom, I am going to come back, just, I just need to find out who I am, and when I know I _will_ come back ok?"

Kagome nodded to what he was saying, and pulled back from the hug, looking her son up and down,

"You grew so fast, and so well, Li, never forget about us here ok? Always remember how you were raised, and follow your heart. It at least will never lead you a stray promise?"

Li nodded,

"Yeah, I promise." Kagome looked at him for a moment longer,

"You are strong Li, just like your father. Just like Inuyasha." he smiled,

"That is a compliment right?" he asked playfully. She smiled and nodded, wiping a tear away from her eye.

"Be safe my son." She whispered he grinned, and then tried to give her the picture back; she just shook her head, "Keep it."

He looked at her for a moment, and then put it into his pocket, put on the haori, and with that he left the place he'd always called home.

For good.

_Mother, be safe too..._


	4. Like Father Like Son

AN: oh, yeah! Yet another fabulous chappie is up! OK, so I wish to thank everyone who reviewed, luv you people, well, I got nothin else ta say, see ya!

**CHAPTER 4**

**LIKE FATHER LIKE SON…**

Li walked out of a large forest and into a clearing. He breathed in deeply.

_The whole place smells great. Does every where smell like this Kyto?_

**_No, some places smell even better. And worse. _**The huge wolf answered,

_No worse than Kouga's place! _

_**chuckle very true Little One. **_

The two were walking around going where ever Li's nose took him. It was only about mid day, and the sun wasn't yet that high up in the sky, making it nice and cool, yet warm enough to keep him moving. And it was only two days into their adventure.

"Gods, this place is beautiful. I could stay out here forever!"

_**Yes, you probably could, but there are even more beautiful places Li. **_

Li looked over to Kyto, and blinked,

"Are you serious? Wow, now that's something to go and find, a place more beautiful than the open plains!" he smiled to himself, "That's what we'll look for first then, sound good to you?" Kyto grinned at him,

**_Such a thing might be closer than you expect Little One. _**Kyto said,

Li shrugged,

"Well then, let's get started!" the pair headed down into the gully, now ready for the real adventure to begin.

NOT TOO FAR AWAY

Sara jumped away from the demon's spiked arms, doing a back flip with only one hand and landing in a cat like position. Pulling her staff in front of her, and deflecting the next attack that came at her.

"Rey, help me please!" she called to a tall boy with short hair hanging down to just before his shoulders. He wore robes but carried a boomerang at his side.

"Coming!" he called to her, and ran forward. He attacked the demon with super speed that belied his strength. His attack hit home and tore into the demons left arm. However, it just grew back together.

Rey cursed and pulled his sister away from the demon,

"Uh, Shippo, can you lend us some assistance?" he called to yet another man standing near by; he had red hair tied back in a pony tail, and wore a smirk on his face.

"God, do you two need saving again?" Sara bristled,

"NO! Just lay back and watch!" she snapped, Shippo shrugged and leaned back against a tree, still smirking.

Sara was faster even then her brother as she ran forward and swung down her staff over the demons head,

"EXCERSISUM!!" she yelled. Then there was a burning sound followed by a hiss from the demon, and it died beneath her.

Sara sighed and pulled her hair back from her face, grinning over at her older brother and Shippo.

"Not bad ne?" she asked, Shippo smiled,

"Seems all those hours training with us did you good kid." She rolled her eyes and then turned; only to see another demon not two paces away.

This demon was tall, extremely tall and had black hair that went down to his waist; he was brandishing a sword that was made from swirling black energy.

Sara gasped.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, her eyes widening as the demon closed the space between them,

"The demon Nireku, and who might you be, gorgeous." He asked, putting an arm around her waist. Sara's eyes flashed,

"GET YOUR FREAKIN HANDS OFF ME PERVERT!!!!!!!" she screamed, slapping the demon so hard he fell all the way across the clearing. She was panting. "F, freak!"

The demon stood, wiping blood from his lip,

"That, my dear, was a mistake." He whispered, and then lunged towards her. Sara screamed, covering her face with her hands.

Then there was a red blur, and Nireku was knocked away from her.

The two forms flew in mid air for a moment before the red blur righted itself and flipped out.

It landed on the ground, and it was a _he_. Sara's eyes got even bigger, if that were possible. Standing there not twenty feet from her was a man; he had white hair, and dog ears. That was all she could see from behind.

"Well, now isn't this a little familiar Nireku? Me kicking your sorry butt into the dirt? Gotta love it." The man in red said. Nireku stood,

"Damn you Li, why must you always get in my way?" and then Nireku lunged again, Li easily side stepped.

"You're slower I think." Li said critically. Nireku snarled and changed direction in mid air, kicking Li into a tree.

"That's what you get for being cocky!" Nireku snapped, Li straitened, seemingly unfazed,

"Get what?" he said, Nireku flew at him again.

This time however, he was faster then before; somehow, he had gained energy. Li frowned and dodged again, this time Nireku caught him in the chest, and this was with his fist.

As Li flew into yet another of the surrounding trees, Nireku struck him with his glowing sword. Li's eyes widened in pain. He then glared up at Nireku, and his fist flew out of no where, and hit Nireku hard. The evil demon flew away, managing to right him self, and landing with poise.

"Is that all you can do Li? How disappointing!" Li growled and lunged at Nireku, managing to hit him a couple times before being thrown to the side.

When Li didn't get up, Sara gasped involuntarily.

_Gods no, get up! GET UP! _However, just then she realized that now Nireku was rushing her!

"If you are going to be stubborn you will die!" he yelled, Sara tripped backwards and closed her eyes.

_No, this can't be the end!_

She heard the sword pass through flesh, but felt no pain…

Sara opened her eyes, only to see Li standing above her, the sword through his stomach.

"Stupid." Li whispered to Nireku. And then he was glowing, a pink energy came from him in pulses, and suddenly a burst of pure energy flew from him and hit Nireku.

Nireku let out a yell as he was blasted away, landing far away from Li.

Sara just stared up at the man. Li. He was gorgeous. Beautiful golden eyes.

_Gods, am I drooling? I'm not? I **should** be!_

"Hey, are you alright?" Li asked her, she nodded wordlessly. He smiled, "Good, here, I'll help you up." she nodded, and he pulled her up.

Just then Rey and Shippo ran over to them,

"Sara are you alright?" Rey called, and then looked his sister up and down, worry in his eyes. She nodded,

"Yeah fine. Are you two good?" they nodded,

"DUH!" snapped Rey, "WE didn't get attacked, who was that dude anyway?" Sara shrugged, Shippo was looking Li over.

"His name is Nireku, he's a very stupid, yet powerful demon from the Southern Kingdoms." Li said, looking at Shippo when he said it. "I am Li, and who might you all be?" Shippo sighed,

"Well, I'm Shippo, this is Rey and that is Sara." Now Shippo paused, "Li right?" he was silent for a time, Sara noticed that Li suddenly became very guarded, his face became emotionless.

_What is wrong with him I wonder? _She thought, but just then Li's ears twitched, and he spun, only to see Nireku shooting dark blasts at them,

"DIE!" he yelled.

Li's eyes widened and he grabbed Sara, pushing her up against a tree and putting him self in between her and the blasts of dark power. He heard her cry out, but just barely over the roar that he let out as he turned on Nireku.

_How dare he? She's just a girl! _ Without another thought he slashed into Nireku with his claws,

"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!!!!!!" he yelled, not knowing where it came from. Nireku stumbled back, and then disappeared.

_Curse it, he got away. _Li snarled to himself, but just then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Li! Are you alright?" it was Sara, he blinked, and then felt a tear in his side, and winced falling to a kneel.

"Don't worry about me," he said, grimacing at his wounds, "this is nothin, just a scratch." Sara shook her head,

"NO! Don't be stupid! You are really hurt, here, we'll take you back to my village, and then I will heal you alright?" he shook his head,

"No need, besides I don't have any money to pay you." Sara scoffed,

"Pay me? No, you _saved my life _that is more than enough, I owe you my life now so you don't get off that easy pal!" she said, grinning now, and despite himself, he looked up her and grinned back, and then winced at the pain it caused.

Shippo listened at Sara scolded Li for hurting himself, but he barely heard.

_It is not possible! That kid not only looks like Inuyasha, he has the same moves too! Not to mention- _Shippo had a flash back of when Li had saved Sara- _he acts just the same, just like when Kagome would get in danger. This, this can't be- HIS SON!_

Sara led Li back into her village, smiling at him and scolding him at the same time for trying to walk normally despite the rips in his abdomen.

"You are an idiot, you're gonna kill yourself!" Li rolled his eyes, and just smiled at her. She just sighed and muttered under her breath.

When the two sat inside the healing hut, both felt a slight tension in the air.

"Thanks." She said suddenly, Li blinked,

"For…?" he asked,

"Saving me, I would have died about twice back there. You didn't even have to, not to mention you got hurt." Li shrugged,

"Don't worry about it, me and that demon go way back, to tell you the truth we hate each others guts." He said, Sara frowned,

"So you only did it because you hate him, is that it?" Li froze, and blinked a couple times,

"No! Not at all, I really wanted to save you; it wasn't like that at all! I, I…" he trailed off, uncertain, Sara giggled, and then looked up to him,

"You are kinda cute when you're tripping all over yourself." She whispered, with a grin that almost seemed evil.

(wholly crap it's a girl version Miroku!)

NEAR BY

"Dad! Rey called to his father who stood near by, working with his mother, "We're back, and guess what happened?" he asked,

Miroku raised an eye brow,

"You are back, how great." He said smiling softly at his son; Sango came out of the forge where she was repairing some weapons.

"Where is your sister Rey?"

"She is fixing someone up in the healing room." He replied,

"Who?" Miroku asked,

"This half demon that saved us, or at least he looks half demon to me!" Sango and Miroku's eyes got wide,

"WHAT?" they both yelled in unison. Shippo cut in,

"A demon he knew attacked us, he saved us basically, and saved Sara's _life _twice, and got hurt in the process." He said, his voice lacking its normal enthusiasm. Sango frowned,

"Wow, so, they are in the healing hut now?" Shippo and Rey nodded, and then Shippo said,

"And there is one more thing, his name is Li, and he is Inuyasha's son."

Li watched Sara as she looked to him, surveying him with her eyes,

"Thanks, I suppose I should thank you right?" he said softly, referring to her comment about him. She shrugged,

"Maybe you should, what do you think?" she moved closer with each word, (Oi, MIROKU CLONE!!!)

"I don't know." He said, his face flushing as she closed the distance between them.

Sara grinned as she kissed Li,

_YES! Awesome, this day rocks! Wow. He's a good kisser, what? he acts so self-conscious though, man, what a nice surprise!_

_(Well, Li is wasting NO time what so ever!)_

Li pulled away from her after a moment, smiling to himself,

"Sara?" he whispered very softly,

"Yeah?" she whispered,

"I kinda have to go now, do you mind? I will be back sooner or later." She grinned at him foolishly,

"No problem, just do come back." She said, and then he grinned, too,

"No worries on that one." He whispered, and then kissed her quickly once more before disappearing into the shadows…

AN: sorry for interrupting but WOW, Li is just about as flirty as Sara is! This is gonna be fun! evil grin Oh yes, much fun! EGORE, come to me, IT IS ALIVE, MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!, anyway, continue on!

"WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!!!" Sango and Miroku yelled at the top of their lungs,

Shippo nodded,

"Yep, there is no mistaking his sent, his attitude, his style, it has Inuyasha written all over it!" They just stared at him open mouthed.

"Hey!" came another voice, "I heard my name, what's up?" Inuyasha dropped down. Sango and Miroku turned to him, and said together.

"You son is here, in the village, in the healing hut!" Inuyasha's eyes got as big as dinner plates. But just at that moment Sara walked up to them, a dreamy look on her face,

"You know tha Li guy? He is an _incredible _kisser." She said, sighing and smiling to herself.

Now Rey and everyone else were staring at her.

"WHAT?" she snapped defensively, Sango just shook her head,

"Sara, that was Inuyasha's son." She said, Sara's eyes widened for a moment, and then she chagrinned,

"Good work Inuyasha!" she said, and then sighed again, "He's not human right? That explains it." And then she walked away, humming to herself, while everyone else just stared after her…

Li ran against the wind, across the gully and clearing, jumping as high as he could have possibly imagined.

_Kyto? _He thought to the wolf breathlessly,

**_Yes. What is it Little One? _**Kyto replied, amusment in his tone,

_I found something more beautiful than the plains. _Li said grinning up a storm,

**_What is it? _** Kyto asked, still sounding like he was smiling,

_Her name is Sara…………………………_

**Ok, so that's it, now what did you all think? Sara is a bit of a flirt, like her father, and Li is just so CUTE! Just like his dad, 'hint the name of the chappie' **

**OK, so do you likey? R&R ok? OK! Now get to it or else………**


	5. SUMMERY FOR 5 OK?

SO sorry everyone, but this newest chappie might take a while, I am have a bit o writers block, so sorry, well you all love me so you won't mind waiting right? RIGHT! Ok, so now I have decided that I will just sum up to a degree what happened next in the story! Ok, cause I just can't write it right! Eventually I might do it but for now this is all you got!

Inuyasha leaves the village to avoid seeing Li, saying basically that he doesn't want to risk having to tell him the truth. He is a tad bit ashamed ok? Anyway he obviously didn't know that Li was long gone. But it was for the better cause then the village is attacked and Li has to come back to save it. In the end Sara decides that she wants to go with him. And follows him when he leaves. Li doesn't mind of course, and so the two begin traveling together. Shippo decides to follow at a distance to make sure the two don't get into too much trouble. Rey has other obligations and doesn't go.


	6. Twenty Questions & The First Test

Disclaimer: WAAAAA I don't own it!!!!!!!! (((-)) ;

An: sooo sorry for taking so long with this one ok? Right, now this chappie is not directly continuing from 4 read the summery on the Authors note other wise you shall be eternally lost! OK, well that's it for me!

**CHAPTER 6**

**TWENTY QUESTIONS AND **

**THE FIRST TEST...**

Li looked over the tree tops from his perch on a higher branch, he sniffed the air, tasting all the stories that it could tell.

_Unless I miss my guess entirely, there is a pack of humans up a head, a small village maybe? _Li was unsure what really lay a head of him; he'd never been this far into the North before.

Faster than most can blink he jumped from the tree and landed gracefully on the ground. As Li broke into a run, he smelt something very good just a head of him.

_Breakfast maybe? _He thought, _what ever it is, it smells great! _

Li grinned to himself as he caught another sent on the wind; flowers, out doors, as well as something else that laced through it, this sent was defining but indefinable. He could also smell a bit of him self in this sent. He grinned again. Sara.

The thought of the slayer girl gave him a spurt of energy he didn't know he'd been saving. Using his demonic speed he steadily approached his goal. The girl was in a small camp just up a head.

It only took Li a moment to reach the little clearing that he had decided the previous night, was good enough as any to stop in. Sara stood near the middle of it, stirring a pot of something over a fire. The morning light danced on her hair making it shine like nothing he'd ever seen. He took a moment to look at her, and then he walked in as if it were nothing.

Sara looked up and grinned at him warmly,

"Hey, what did you find?" she asked him, he shrugged,

"There is a small pack of humans up a head, not twenty miles. We can stop there and get some more supplies that you insist we need, and then get a bit farther even, if we move fast enough." He explained, she nodded,

"Right!" there was silence for a time as she finished with the stew like food in the pot,

"That stuff smells pretty good, what is it?" Li asked,

"Just a jumble of stuff from my bag. Nothing special." She said, but smiled none the less, he shrugged,

"What ever it is it smells just as good as my moms cooking, and that is _good_." He said teasingly to her, she rolled her eyes and poured him a bowl.

As he gobbled down his meal Sara watched him, seemingly studying him with her eyes. He noticed but said nothing for a time, after a while Sara sighed and leaned on his back with her own,

"Li?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you agree to take me on this little escapade of yours?"

"Because you wanted to go of course, why not take you if you wanted to come?"

"Because of all the demons that are going to be coming after you I'd expect."

"Why would demons come after me?" he asked incredulously. Sara blinked behind him,

_He has no idea! I thought that Kagome would have at least told him something! _Sara thought,

"Uh _yeah_ Li, didn't you know?"

"Why though? Why would they want me?" he asked,

"Your father of course, don't you know anything about him?" she replied,

"Not really." Li said softly, almost regretfully, Sara shook her head,

"Your father is a demon lord Li, there are more demons after him than any normal person could possible handle. Why wouldn't they want you? You are his son, the perfect weakness." She whispered the last part, Li just grinned,

"Ah, no worries Sara! Nobody knows that I even _exist_! I'm not even sure my _dad_ knows!" he said almost laughing, he smiled softly at her odd questions.

"But Li, still, even then, you didn't need me to be with you, why have me in the first place?" she asked, Li smiled again,

"Why not? I mean, I thought I'd made it clear already, I really like you Sara, so, what's the problem?" he asked, Sara blushed,

"Oh, no, no, no, you misunderstand! There is nothing wrong with it, I mean, I really like traveling, with someone other than my big bro and Shippo. They are really, _really _way too protective. And traveling with you is a lot nicer." She smiled, "I'm babbling aren't I?" Li grinned,

"A little." He replied, Sara rolled her eyes,

"Perfect!"

There was a silence then; neither of them sure just what to say. Finally Sara said,

"Hey Li?"

"Yeah Sara?"

"Why did you call the village a 'pack of humans'?" she asked, Li was silent for a moment, then said,

"Well, I was raised by a wolf pack, and that's just how they referred to a bunch of anything in one place. I know the other ways of saying of course, but I just don't use them." He smiled to himself, Sara nodded, thoughtfully.

"Ok, another question, how do you see things? Like when you first meet a 'pack' how do you see them?" Li turned to her now,

"Well, I see them as they are in a wolfs eyes." When Sara frowned in confusion Li elaborated, "Like for example when I met you and your brother and Shippo. I saw Shippo, and I saw a leader, so he was the Alpha in your group, strong willed, brave, and smart. When I saw your brother I saw a beta, or second in command, quiet thoughtful, keen eyed." He said, Sara cocked her head,

"And when you saw me?" she asked, Li smiled to himself,

"I saw an Alpha Female, proud, beautiful, and strong." He replied, Sara smiled and blushed,

"Really?" she asked, looking away from him, Li nodded,

"Yes." He said, Sara couldn't' look at him,

_This is ridiculous! He is just a guy, _Sara thought,_ what's wrong with me?_

"S, so, how do you do all that, I mean, you're a half DOG demon, not a wolf, how does that one work out?" she asked hurriedly, Li smiled softly at her but answered,

"I really don't think it matters what you are but how you're raised, I wasn't raised like a dog demon, I was raised like a wolf." Sara faced him frowning softly,

"How though? You never said who raised you like that." She said, Li raised his eye brows,

"I didn't? Oh, well it was a friend of my moms, now her mate I suppose, Kouga." Sara's eyes were as big as dinner plates,

"Are you serious Li?" she whispered, he nodded frowning at her,

"Yeah, what about it?" he said, Sara shook her head,

"Li, Kouga was your father's love rival. Oh heck, they were rivals in everything else too, not just love but that was the thing that made them hate each other. Normal reviles don't hate each other; these two would rip out each others throats if they got the chance. They both loved your mother Li. They practically fought wars over her." Sara said, almost sadly,

Li was just staring at her; he hadn't known any of this about his mother or father, or Kouga for that matter. His mom had never said a word as to why Kouga never really spoke well of his father. When he'd been back at the den he could remember when he'd been little and he'd over heard Kouga trash talking someone.

_FLASHBACK_...

"_How dare that mutt do a thing like that? Li ended up just fine, he didn't need to leave that wolf of mine practically dieing on the river bank! Who does Inuyasha think he is? Mutt face needs to remember he's in my lands, NOT his own, cursed dog!"_

_END FLASHBACK..._

Kouga had gone on like that for quite a while. It was only until Li learned that his father's name was Inuyasha that he learned more so what Kouga had been talking about. Apparently he'd gotten loose one day and his father had bloodied up a wolf to save him. Or just bloodied up a wolf cause he'd wanted to teach Kouga a lesson. Either or.

"Well," said Li to Sara, "that might explain why me and Kouga never really got along." He said smiling at her. Sara just shook her head,

"Li, you are crazy." She said. And then sighed she stood up, "come on, we should get going now." Li nodded and the two set off...

Li and Sara got to the little village only a few hours later. Upon arriving they found they entire thing completely empty.

"This is kinda creepy Li." Sara said standing beside him, her staff in her hand. Li nodded,

"Yeah, you're right, I'm gonna go check this out, you go get the supplies we need alright?" Sara nodded and headed off, Li headed off in the opposite direction.

WITH SARA

Sara's eyes were pealed for danger as she picked up the supplies she was sure that they'd need. Food, a map, things like that. However, in mid search for some Ofuda scrolls, she felt eyes on her. Stiffening, Sara frowned,

"Li, is that you?" she asked, there was no reply, "LI!" she called, again, nothing, "Come on Li, this isn't funny!" Sara snapped, and spun around, only to find a demon that was very much NOT Li standing in front of her,

"**_Hello my dear, will you play?" _**

WITH LI

Li heard Sara's scream from across the village.

_Sara! _

Li's heart stopped for a moment, and then he was running as fast he could possible manage without running into anything. And he really didn't succeed in that either as his shoulder caught a hut.

_Gods don't let her be hurt. _He thought to himself, and then saw her.

Sara was in the clutches of a demon, it was holding her by her neck in the air. With a roar Li knocked the demon away from her with his own body,

"HOW DARE YOU!!!" he roared at the demon, fire burned behind his eyes, flashing vividly against the graying sky.

The demon fought Li with strength that bordered his own. As Li slashed at the demon with his claws, the demon dodged, jumping backwards and attempting to cut Li in half. Li didn't get to dodge, and then a spurt of blood flew across the court yard he had found himself in.

This blood hit Sara's face and pulled her out of her self induced trance. Blinking rapidly she picked up her staff and went to help Li. Just as she took a step however, something wrapped around her waist, throwing her into the air.

"Ahhhhh!" she screamed as she flew up, and then she looked down. Another demon stood below her; suddenly it jumped up and caught her in mid air. She winced as its teeth cut into her abdomen.

Not too far away, Li's opponent laughed as it threw him across the court yard yet again,

"**_You pathetic fool, do you know who I am?"_** the demon asked Li pulling him up to face him. **_"I am the demon one of the demons that guards the gates to the North; do you think you can defeat me where so many have failed?"_** Li looked up to the demon,

"Yes." He said, and then put his claws into to his own wound. "Blades of Blood!" he yelled. The demon's eyes widened and he was thrown back against one of the surrounding huts.

Li panted, he was running on instincts now. Something in him was telling him what to do. He stared at his hands, covered in his own blood.

_If I would have known that I could do that, this would have been over ages ago! _ He thought, _in fact, I think I can end this now! _

Li jumped over to where the demon lay, raising his claws,

"Iron riever soul stealer!" he yelled, the demon looked up to him, eyes wide at the call he'd just let off,

_That face! _The demon thought, _no, it, it can't be, Inuyasha is older that this whelp! It, it must be his- _the thought was cut off as pain lanced through the demon.

Li could have killed the demon right there, however, just before he did, he heard Sara scream yet again. Eyes flashing red, he jumped away, running to her.

The demon sat up from the pile of rubble that had almost become his grave.

"I, it's not possible." He whispered all the demonic like tone gone from his voice, "No, it's not possible"...

SARA AND LI

Li rushed up to the demon that held Sara in one of its razor-like claws.

"Don't you touch her!" he snarled slicing off the demons arms in one fell swoop. Screaming in pain the demon retreated from the two, dropping Sara to the ground at Li's feet,

"You wanted your woman yes?" came a voice behind him, he turned, it was the demon that he'd just fought.

He glared, but the demon took no notice, it just joined its companion on the far side of the court yard.

"You have your woman, and I have my companion, we are even for now young one." The demon said, "however, remember this, I am Kite, and this is Suki, and we shall kill you one day, little dog." Li snarled, almost like a spit, and shook his head,

"Not likely, if you keep fighting like this." He growled, Kite shook his head,

"This time we were not prepared, and, we did not know you identity, however next time, we will better prepare ourselves." Li glared,

"If you think you know who I am, then who am I?" he asked, the demons chuckled,

"We don't know who you are, we just know what you are, you are the son of a Taiyoukai, and something else, but who you are, do _you_ even know?" then with a cackle, the demons disappeared.

Li sighed, and then winced as it caused him pain, Sara got up from the ground now and put her hands on his abdomen, it was bleeding.

"Oh gods Li, you're hurt, come here, take off your shirt, and let me see it." Li didn't respond, just looked down at her for a moment,

"Are you alright?" he asked, Sara blushed,

"Well DUH! I am fine, you're the one who got his ass kicked, not me! Kami, what were you thinking?" she snapped at him, he shrugged,

"I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He said, Sara looked up to him, and then shook her head,

"You idiot." She said, and then threw her arms around his neck. Li's eyes widened, and then he sighed and put his arms around her...

_Gods Sara, if you'd have gotten hurt, I don't know what I would have done..._

Not far away, two demons stood watching the whole thing,

"He is strong, I told you he was." The younger one said, the older nodded,

"You were right, I should have know, he has his mother's blood too though, doesn't he?"

"How should I know?" The younger one replied, "If _anyone_ should know it would be you." He told the elder, it nodded,

"True, keep me posted; there is something else I need to attended too." And then he disappeared.

End of another chappie, ok? So, this story like I said before ain't gonna be updated as much anymore alright? I'm working on my other one The Beginning of a Legend cause it got more reviews, so by popular demand, it is getting worked on as soon as I can work on it again, which should be this week. Seeya everyone!


	7. A New Rival&An Unavoidable Choice

AN: ok, so after a rather long break I am once again ready to update this story! Happiness!

DISCLAIMER: well, why would I write DISCLAIMER on it if it was mine?

**CHAPTER 7**

**A NEW RIVEL?!**

**UNAVOIDABLE CHOICE…**

"Li! Watch out at your right!" Sara yelled, Li twisted himself in the air to dodge the claws of the demon they were fighting,

"Thanks." He called over his shoulder, then raised his claws, "Iron reaver soul stealer!" he yelled, slicing off the same clawed arm that had just been trying to kill him.

Sara jumped up from behind the demon while Li had it busy and threw an Ofuda on its head, then brought her staff down on it.

"EXERSISEM!" she yelled, the demon screamed and pulled away from her, batting her out of the air as it went, she hit the ground with a thump.

"Sara!" Li called to her from where he was spinning out of the demons grasp in mid air. From the ground she raised a hand and called,

"I'm alright! Get em' Li!" Li nodded and then roared,

"IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!" even before his roar faded the demon was gone.

Li landed gracefully on the ground, before turning to Sara who was just standing,

"Are you alright?" he asked cocking his head, she nodded,

"Yeah, I just got thrown to the ground from about, oh, _thirty feet_!" she snapped, Li shrugged embarrassed,

"Sorry, I just-" Sara cut him off,

"I know I know, _you _wouldn't have even stopped for two seconds if it had been you!" she snapped, then sighed, "Come on, let's just go and get the money for killing the thing shall we?"

Seeing her pain he went over to her and put an arm around her waist smiling,

"Come on then Sara," he whispered, kissing her hair softly, "You don't think I'm going to wait do you?" his voice was very soft, she smiled to herself,

"You better dog for brains." She muttered, but allowed him to take her to the village leader who paid them well for their services.

The two had been doing this kind of work for quite a while; it worked well in their favor after all. It only took them a little energy to dispense the low class demons that humans had trouble with. Or well, it took _Li _very little energy, Sara had to expend her self a little bit more than him.

"Li, I think that we should head to the West now." Sara mused as the two headed away from the little village, Li nodded,

"Yeah, sounds good, nothing wrong with the West." He said, his eyes already searching the road ahead of them. Sara nodded,

"Your dad should still be in the village so we won't have to worry about running into him at all." She said, Li looked over to her,

"Why would we anyway?" he asked, Sara smiled,

"I told you, he is a Demon Lord, the Lord of the West technically." She said, Li blinked,

"Oh." He said, suddenly sounding almost sullen.

"You don't want to run into him I take it?" Sara asked, Li sighed,

"I really don't know. I mean, he _is _my dad. I guess it is natural to kinda want to meet him. But I am kinda afraid to also, I mean, I want to know why he left me and my mom with, Kouga, but at the same time I _don't _want to know" he said looking away from Sara, frowning at nothing. She smiled,

"Li, I think you might be better off knowing than wondering; don't you?" She whispered, Li shrugged,

"I suppose, but, well, listen, there is a lot more to this than just meeting my father." he said, Sara put her hand in his,

"Tell me." She said simply, LI just stared at her for a moment, and then sighed,

"Alright, fine, you win." He said, she nodded, and Li began. "See I grew up my whole life just hearing how stupid my dad was from Kouga and other wolves, and my mom never said anything about him at all. So basically I heard nothing good about him. I had always thought my mother might still love him or something, until she got pregnant with my little half sister Anè. I knew she couldn't still love my dad after she did something like that. It being Kouga's kid and all. But I loved Anè despite all that, she was great. Real cute kid ya know? But still it meant problems for me; there was a huge dispute on whether she or I would take Kouga's place. I won out in the end; supposedly because she had two things against her; One, I was older and ultimately going to be stronger, and two: I was a boy. I guess I never really thought it fair but she never complained so neither did I.

Sara smiled to Li,

"But Li, if all that was like that, then why would you ever want to leave?" she asked, Li smiled wryly.

"If everything had _just_ been like that I wouldn't have. However, things inside the pack its self was a lot more complicated. Mostly between me and Kouga. From the time I turned 13, I hated him. For a reason I couldn't explain till later. He was alpha male, and I was just the same as him in attitude. Especially considering who my father was. You may have heard that two dominate people don't usually get along? Well we were the spitting image of that stereotype."

At this Sara laughed,

"You know Li, I can see all this, I really can! But I have just one more question, if things were so bad, then why did you stay so long?" she asked, Li chagrinned,

"Because of my little sister and my mother, I felt like I needed to be with them." Sara stopped and looked up to him, her eyes soft,

"Li, you are too perfect you know?" he blinked in surprise, then just shrugged,

"I try!" he said laughing, Sara laughed too, and then gasped in surprise as Li pulled her into a kiss.

(AN: Does a little dance Go Li, oh yeah, its ya birthday! Uh huh!)

As the days passed the two continued to travel helping who they could as they went along. However, they decided to take a trip into the forest surrounding them and soon found themselves completely lost.

And fate pulled another string….

"Li, where are we again?" Sara asked the boy beside her, who shrugged,

"Lost apparently." He said, almost joviality, she glared at him,

"Enjoying this are you?" she asked dryly, he shrugged again,

"I like the forest, don't you?" he asked, Sara didn't ever get a chance to answer however, because at that exact moment, something burst from the surrounding foliage and attacked them.

In the short space of about two seconds the following things took place:

One, Li threw Sara behind him to the ground.

Two, the thing attacking them spun Li away from Sara and landed with the slayer girl in-between them,

Three, Li identified the thing attacking them to be a chick and a demon.

And finally four, Li allowed his demonic instincts to take over.

The female demon snarled at Li, he roared, the girl took a step back, obviously not having known that Li was a demon himself. Or a dog demon at that. She gasped, then snarled again,

"Outsider! What do you think you are doing tress passing on _my _lands!" she snarled, Li roared again,

"Woman, what do you think _you're _doing attacking us like that," Sara noticed that his voice boomed with a tone of authority she'd never heard, it was very intimidating. Evidentially it was not going to work on his opponent however.

"I can attack you if you are trespassing!" the woman snarled, "These are my lands!" Li spat and tossed his head angrily,

"These lands belong to the _Lord _of the West, if I am to recall correctly!" he snarled, she took a step back, and then sighed,

"You do recall correctly, however, there is not just one lord, there are two, and I am the daughter of one of them." The demoness said, Li got cold all over.

_Oh my god. Is she my half sister too? _He thought, she noticed his surprised look, and then gave him a wary one.

"Who are you anyway?" she asked, he shook his head softly, and replied,

"My name is Li, I, I come from the East myself. And your name is?"

"MY name is Kanna; I am the daughter of the Lord of the West Sesshomaru, and Lady of the West Kagura. Who are your parents, it is polite for you to say." Li just stared at the girl for a moment, then shook his head,

"Listen, Kanna, I really don't mean to offend, but my parents are something I really don't think I should mention, so can you possibly show us a way out of here?" he asked her, a small smile on his face, pleading almost. She sighed,

"I am sorry for scaring you earlier, and I am also sorry, but I am not allowed beyond this point in the forest. I cannot possibly show you out." She shook her head, "My father is very possessive I am sorry."

Sara stood from where she had been on the ground,

"Hey, I left my village without permission to come with Li, why not just bend the rules?" she asked, Li growled at Sara, who shrugged, "What? I would!" Li rolled his eyes, but looked to Kanna all the same. She smiled,

"My father would kill me if I didn't go with a demon lord to protect me-" Li interrupted Kanna,

"I am a demon lord, or, well I am the son of one. Of a Taiyoukai in fact!" he said, her eyes lit up,

"Oh? Well then, I think that this is your lucky day, I'll show you a way out of here, and maybe even come with you after that, how does that sound?" Kanna asked them grinning, Li grinned right back,

"Sounds great Kanna, welcome to the pack!" he said, Sara smiled and the three companions headed off into the forest…

The three new companions soon found themselves out of the forest and trying to decide where to go next. Sara sighed,

"Well, meeting you Kanna, I really think maybe I should go home and make sure my family is alright, do you mind Li?" Sara asked, Li shook his head,

"Naw, I have no real agenda." He said, Kanna nodded,

"I am just eager to get away from this place." She said the other two laughed at her.

Kanna only had to be around her new companions for a few moments to know two things.

One, they were in love.

And two, she was now under a new leader-Li.

Li couldn't be anything other than the leader of their mismatched band. Even though there were only three of them in the group, it was obvious, nothing would happen if Li didn't say it could.

_He is a very good leader, _Kanna thought, _strong, smart, and very kind. I wonder; he must have morals, maybe I should ask him…?_

"Hey Li?" Kanna suddenly asked, Li turned to her,

"Yeah Kanna?" he replied,

"I was wondering, what are your morals?" Kanna asked casually, Li blinked,

"What do you mean?" he asked, she sighed and said,

"Like, mine are that I will never turn away someone that I can help, I will never not help some one I can. I will not help someone who can help themselves, ya know, that kind of thing!" Li frowned and thought for a moment, then said,

"Well, I will never hit a woman unless she is a demon who is out for my blood or for the blood of someone I care about. I'll not ever kill a child- demon or no- and I will not allow anyone who I can help suffer." He smiled to himself, "Just things like that, what about you Sara?" he asked, Sara turned to him,

"Li, I have very few morals, one is, I won't be used, second is I will not use anyone, and the third is I will help those who cannot do so themselves. Those are all my morals. I have no need for more." Li rolled his eyes and smiled at her.

Kanna was just staring at him,

_Wow, he even has the morals of a great leader, and he resembles my uncle so much! Wait, no, it's not possible! He can't be-_

"Hey Li, do you by any chance know someone named Inuyasha?" Kanna asked him suddenly. Li stiffened immediately. Kanna noticed, "You do don't you?" she said. Sighing, Li turned to her and nodded slowly,

"Yes, I do, but, listen Kanna, what I am about to tell you, you may not want to hear." He said, Kanna shrugged,

"Oh well, humor me anyway." She said smiling, sighing Li told her everything. Or, almost everything. He told her he was Inuyasha's son. That he hadn't been raised by his father's enemy Kouga for reasons unknown, and that he was on his own now to find out what really happened,

"That is the thing you want to find out?" Kanna asked, "That is what you traveled out here for? Somehow I just don't believe it Li. No one goes to lengths like _this _just to find out what happened between their parents. No, if that was what you truly were looking for deep down, you wouldn't have come out here, you'd have interrogated your mother. What is it you're really after?"

Li was silent for a moment, then sighed,

"I don't know what I'm here for, I guess to find out something even I can't know about yet." Li smiled to himself. "One thing is for sure though, I'm not going to go back to Kouga's place anytime soon. I _am _sure of that." He finished, Kanna nodded, and Sara wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Well Li," she said, "I am positive that Kouga probably won't come looking for you to come back anytime soon anyway!" Li laughed, and Kanna joined in, Sara giggling to her self. Then Kanna sobered,

"But Li," she said, "You do realize that you still have one huge choice a head of you don't you?" Li looked at Kanna cocking his head to the side,

"Like what?" he asked,

"Like, deciding if you are going to rule a wolf pack or are you going to be a Demon Lord? Your father is one of the two Lords Of The West, and you were raised to be a wolf clan leader, you can't say you are just going to ignore your heritage on _both _sides are you?" Li glanced at her out of the corner of his eye,

"I, I don't know Kanna, but then again, who might?" he whispered, Kanna shrugged and said,

"No one but you Li, and eventually, you will have to choose one or the other, and there are going to be consequences no matter what you decide." She sighed deeply, "You are so screwed you know that right?" she asked, and then everyone was laughing again.

Long after the conversation, Li was pondering what Kanna had told him. Was she right? Was he going to have to make a decision about what he was going to be eventually? Well, it made sense, but, having to decide something like that seemed so unfair to him. Having to choose what you are going to be. He sighed, then looked over to Sara who was watching him from her position at his side,

"What do you think Sara?" he asked softly, somehow knowing she knew what he had been thinking about, she just smiled,

"Getting to choose what you are going to be for the rest of your life Li? Some people would consider you very lucky, how many people get that choice? I sure didn't." then she grinned at him, "Li, you don't have to choose right now, but when the time comes, and I think that day is a wais off. So don't worry. You'll know when you are meant to." And with that she leaned her head on his shoulder and fell asleep. He sighed to himself.

"Gods, lucky am I? Damn if this is _lucky, _I hope I'm never _unlucky_ in my life!" he said, and then sighing went to sleep as well…

AN: OK then peoples, I am finally updating on these babies again, so review and I'll keep on! Ohh, and by the way, I will be answering peoples questions that they ask me about the stories now, I've not been too good at that in my earlier work. But fear not! I'll get this baby up and runnin in no time!

A big thank you too…

LionessisRin: By the way Shippo is 21. Yeah how time flies!


	8. Never Forgotton Memories

Chapter 8 of Strands:

We go to Li's Fam in the East as they talk about what's goin on.

Anè then gets taken by a demon…

CHAPTER 8

Never Forgotten Memories…

"Mama!" Anè called to Kagome who was bending over a basket on the floor of the cave they lived in. She looked up to see her daughter running up to her, six pups following her. Kagome smiled to herself, Anè had created her own little pack right there. The white wolf that was always by her side named Alva was to be a wolven like Kyoto she thought.

_Li _she thought to herself, _I hope you're safe._

"Momma!" Anè said again, jerking Kagome from her reverie,

"Yes dear?" she replied gently,

"Mama, I was wondering when Li would be home. He never said good-bye to me, and he never left for this long before." The child said frowning at Kagome, Kagome herself sighed, and replied,

"I don't know, he didn't tell me." Anè sighed, and sat down by her mother. The pup Alva laying next to her, the little pack of pups quieting instantly as well. Soon Kagome's mind began to wonder to her son again,

_if only I knew where he was planning on going, I could- no, that is probably why he didn't say, he wants to do all of it on his own, for once not have someone help him. Make his own way maybe, just like I did so long ago. With Inuyasha… _

Here Kaogme's thoughts began to go in a more angst direction,

_What was he thinking? Just running off on my like that. I know he knew about Li when he left, Miroku knew, who else could have told him? No one. Inuyasha knew, but, oh gods, why would he leave, he never struck me as that kind of a man, in fact I know he wasn't one. He told me he wanted kids! How screwed up was he when he left? Oh gods, what if he is dead? No, I couldn't stand that._

Suddenly Kagome recognized this conversation with herself; she had it every now and again. She had worried about Inuyasha, and at the same time, she knew that he couldn't be dead, she would have known. Or would she? And then the entire argument was back. Just like so many times before.

She shouldn't worry about him though. It wasn't like she still loved him anyway. Or did she? Oh gods she hoped not, if she did, if she did… Kagome's gaze went to the five year old child beside her. Anè, her darling daughter, and Li's younger half sister. If she had loved Inuyasha she wouldn't have become Kouga's mate would she have? But, still, sometimes she wondered about that whole thing. It was a very unusual situation. She didn't know exactly what to do with it.

Li had once told her that his sister was the center of his world. Until about two days ago, she hadn't known exactly what he'd meant. Anè had been spending more and more time with Kagome since Kouga was usually busy other places. So now Anè talked about all of the things she and Li used to do on lazy days.

Flash Back

"_Li and I really couldn't be together much, daddy doesn't like it. He says he trusts Li like he trusted 'mutt face' I don't know what he meant by that, but anyway, me and Li really didn't get too awful much time alone. But when we did he and I did really cool stuff, he taught me how to fish, and hunt, and anything else I asked for." Anè had said, _

"_But I have never even seen him around you, at least not for a very lengthy time, when did you do all that?" Kagome asked, _

"_Whenever we had time, usually during times he told Kouga I was with you and told you I was with your lady wolves. He did that a lot." Anè said, "But he once told me that if it weren't for me, he would have left here when he turned 13." Anè had said, Kagome gapped at the girl._

_End Flash back…_

So Kagome had found out a lot of things about her son by her younger daughter.

Anè stood up.

"I'm gonna go get daddy." She said, and then was off...

Kagome sat there thinking about her son, worrying, and then a thought struck her,

_Why didn't I ever notice it before? He was just like his father in spirit too…_

Kouga stood on a rocky out cropping that over looked his entire lands. None of his men were with him, for once. However, he could smell all of them near by. He had come up here to think. Kagome was very unhappy of late.

_What is wrong with you Li, if you would just come back she'd stop being so depressed. Damn you kid. Fool, just like your father! _He thought to himself, and snarled softly,

Of course he really wasn't missing the whelp, but for Kaogme's sake, he did hope he would send word or something, not come back though. He never wanted to see the kid again to be true. Despite the years he'd raised him, they were just as bad a mix as him and mutt face. The whelp had always been just too much like his mutt father. Too stubborn, strong willed and never just taking orders. Never shut up either.

Kouga looked out onto the grassy plain to the West, and sniffed. Li. Just like so many times before, the area the kid had loved so much had taken on his sent, kinda. He growled,

_Will he never truly leave?! _However, before he could think even half of another thought, he heard Anè calling for him.

He turned to see his younger daughter running up to him grinning up a storm.

"Daddy! Hey da-" she never finished; suddenly a demon dropped from the sky and grabbed her in its claws.

"ANÈ!!!!" Kouga yelled, only to see his daughter being born away…

AN: Tee hee, I know, I'm evil!


	9. A Family Reunion

AN: Ok, I am finally done with this chappie, it took a while. Gods above and _below_. It took a while. But it _is _one of my favorites yet, in fact it _is _my fav! Aright then, the next will be updated soon so get to reading. Oh and by the way, I got a question from LionessisRin, my answer,

AA: Kanna is a dog demon, Kagura named her after her sister the Kanna we know from the show, and or graphic novels, because Kanna died in the final battle. Ok now, any more questions, I would love to hear em!

Disclaimer: Sigh despite my many bribes, pleadings, court trials, and death threats, Rumiko Takahashi still owns Inuyasha. However, her body guards will get lax someday and then she had better watch out! Muwahahahahahahaha!

Chapter 9

A Family Reunion…

Kanna had never been inside a real village before she began to travel with Li and Sara. They stayed at one ever chance they got. Fighting troublesome demons and the like. However, Kanna had never really fought a demon who was allowed to beat her before. It was much more intense to say the least. Li however, managed to cover for her, seemingly watching out for her in their first few battles. Which she was very grateful for in the end.

Sara could manage very well on her own Kanna noticed. The girl had been raised by a demon slayer and a very powerful monk so what else was to be expected. Though according to Sara, she and her brother Rey were the best fighters out of the 11 siblings that they had. Gods above and below Kanna could never imagine having so many siblings, let alone help out with them. Or even learn their names! Sara however couldn't live without a large family.

"They are great most of the time, but if you like alone time you're outta luck at my place!" she said with enthusiasm. Kanna asked Li about his younger sister,

"Well, I love her personally, she doesn't get on my nerves often cause' Kouga hardly lets me near her anyway so she doesn't have the time to." He said grinning, "You don't have any siblings do you?" he asked her, she shrugged,

"No how could you tell?" she answered, he rolled his eyes,

"Just a lucky guess." He replied.

So they all headed back to Sara's village, only to find that soon, some distressing news was to reach their ears.

"Hello good sir. We hear that there are some demons bothering your humble establishment?" Sara said cordially, to the chieftain of the village. The man nodded, while looking Sara up and down,

"Yes, and you think you can do something about it?" he asked softly,

Sara nodded, Kanna and Li stayed quiet beside her. The chieftain looked at Sara again,

"You are just a girl, and you are all just kids, do something useful, there isn't anything useful for you here!" he said, and then reached down to Sara, however, before his hand ever got within an inch of her arm, Li growled low in his throat.

"I wouldn't." Li said his voice deadly soft. The chieftain stopped,

"Oh, he's a demon then, well if you why didn't you say so? Fine, I'll tell you what I know about these demons." And then the man sat down, Sara and the others followed suit.

Li gave Sara a glance as the man began his tale, but she didn't seem to be angry with him.

"Alight," the chieftain said, "It all began about two months ago, all of a sudden two demons showed up and asked for our assistance in a, disagreeable plan, but we wouldn't assist. The next day, they brought with them another demon, the one who runs them around, his name is Nireku, and he set them on the village, they killed many." The chieftain shivered, Li growled and glared to the side, catching the chieftain's attention. "Somethin' wrong with you demon?" he asked, Li looked to him,

"No, nothing is wrong, but I know this demon personally, I promise to take care of it for you." He said coldly the chieftain looked at him, uncertainly,

"That might be a problem, you see, we to keep him from killing us again, we decided to give him something that would make it impossible for us to resist, and impossible for him to be defeated, a little girl, a priestess that still lives inside him. If you kill him, she dies too." The chieftain said sadly, shaking his head, "We should have known better."

Li just sighed,

"That is only a complication, not an impossibility; I'll fix it all, I promise." And then he stood and the two girls followed him,

"What will you do demon?" The chieftain asked, Li grinned, his fangs showing,

"I'll do what I do best, win." And without another word he left.

Li sat propped against a hut wall, the girls were inside getting a bit of rest so that they could fight better when Nireku struck again, which would be undoubtedly tonight. The villagers said he came on the nights when the moon was full. This would work out well in Sara's opinion; full moons meant tons of light to fight by. Li had said nothing on the topic. He was readying himself to fight a very dangerous creature.

_Still, there is something else worrying me, no priestess, no matter how strong, can be held inside a demon, it would burn him inside out. So this priestess can't be of pure nature. So how is it Nireku's fooling every one? _Li growled, irritated with his ignorance.

"Oh well, I'll just have to wait until tonight I guess." He muttered to himself, and then he closed his eyes to rest.

Li looked out from his hiding place among the many huts littering the little village. Darkness had just clutched the little thing, and Sara and Kanna were also hidden very similarly to himself. The both were in his line of vision.

And then he felt it, a demon approaching. His mother's spiritual abilities proving themselves in the test. He smiled; Nireku had no idea what he was going to get into tonight.

_Better him than me._

And the Nireku entered the village, and immediately Li sensed the priestess was near him, but not inside him as the chieftain had said, just as Li had thought. Nireku came into his sights, and stopped, and then yelled,

"You know I come, and I am here, so get out of bed you fools, why do you sleep on these nights?!" however, no one came, instead, Li walked out from his hiding place, grinning brightly in the moonlight,

"Why hello there Nireku, beautiful night eh?" he asked, Nireku snarled,

"You, why would you be here pup?" Li grimaced,

"I'm no pup, and I'm just doing my job, saving the innocent." he yelled, his voice mocking. Nireku glared at him from where he stood on a roof top.

"You think you can beat me little pup? This I would like to see. But first let's see if you're worthy to even fight me eh?" Nireku said with even more mockery in his own voice, and then with a wave of his hand he summoned Kite and Suki to his side.

"What do you wish of us my lord?" asked Kite solemnly, Li snorted,

"Oh gods, not you two Kite? You are following his orders now? Well this just beats all things to hell, YOU followings HIS orders, that's just rich." He said. Kite chose to ignore him, but a small frown flicked across his face. Suki never seemed to even show emotion. At all.

"Kill him." Nireku said simply to the two demons. Only Kite moved to fight. Suki only jumped to a perch in a tree to watch them. Nireku said nothing and a shadow peered also at the fight from his side.

Kite jumped to land in front of Li, a fiery sword in hand.

"Prepare Li, I am more prepared for _your_ power this time." He said, Li just shrugged,

"Yeah, I suppose you will be, but so am I, I'm prepared for you as well this time." He said smiling, just allowing his fangs to show.

Kite snarled and ran forward, Li just jumped, dodging out of the way, drawing his claws and slashing out at Kite, who dodged away spinning. Li's fangs totally pulled out, giving him a very demonic look, and his claws struck upward to knock Kite across the way. Then he stood back and chuckled,

"You are still underestimating me because of my age fool."

Suddenly Suki turned to them,

"Kite," she said in a very dead voice, "he has two girls with him, they are right, _there_." she said pointing to the two houses where Sara and Kanna stood waiting.

Li glanced at her, then to Nireku,

"Leave them out of this Ni-" he never finished, Nireku was already attacking the huts, with a roar, Li sped after him, "NO!" he snarled, but just then he noticed Kanna jumping away with Sara clinging to her.

"Li, your battle is with me!" yelled Kite, "If you where foolish enough to bring two women with you, then they are probably powerful enough to protect themselves right?" Kite said, "RIGHT!" he yelled, Li nodded, but hesitated, and then attacked once again.

Kanna jumped away from Nireku, Sara stood next to her. Nireku glared at them when he realized that they'd gotten away. His glare narrowed on Sara, who winked.

"Nice to see ya again Nireku," she called waving, "hope you won't mind if we kill your lackeys!" Nireku spat,

"Not likely slayer!" he yelled, but before he could attack, Suki jumped down,

"I wish to fight them." She said, but her gaze was mostly for Kanna who got into a fighting stance. Suki just stood there, waiting, Sara got out of the way. Kanna finally got tired of waiting,

"Come on!" she yelled, rushing the demoness, who's stare became cold at Kanna's approach.

"Ice sickle." She said, pulling just such a weapon from thin air. Kanna jumped away from the side, the weapon missing her by mere inches. Sara watched from the ground.

Li was hit with Kite's sword and thrown to the side, blood rose like a fountain from his wound. He didn't even slow down.

Kanna pulled her own sword from the air,

"Ice Blade!" she yelled, slicing at Suki, who dodged away quickly, bringing her sickle down on Kanna's back, throwing her to the ground, Kanna rolled to avoid the next attack and back flipped into a standing position, her blade coming up to block the following attack.

Li's claws ripped into Kite's back, throwing him into a tree, Kite just moved before Li's attack hit,

"Iron reaver soul stealer!" he yelled, however, the attack missed when Kite moved, Li just killed the by standing tree.

Kite jumped and went to attack Li's unguarded back, to no avail as suddenly Li wasn't there and threw Kite to the ground again.

Kanna screamed as she was thrown aside with Suki's sickle. However, Suki could attack again, Li grabbed her and threw her into Kite, and then he looked to Kanna,

"You alright?" Li asked, Kanna nodded,

"As good as I can be." She said, Li nodded, turning back to Kite and Suki, who were glaring daggers at him.

"Enough!" came a voice from the shadow that stood behind Nireku.

A woman came into view. Li felt himself get cold all over. The woman looked just like his mother, except that she was older and maybe, a bit colder in the eyes. Li growled unconsciously, the woman was staring at him.

"Nireku, what is this? Surly not who I think it is, he is too young." She said coldly, Nireku shook his head,

"No, this is not the man who you seek Kikyou, this is the whelp Li." Nireku said to her, she was still staring at Li, her eyes intense and cold as ever.

"How old are you, Li?" she asked, the firmness in her voice had him answering before he knew what he was doing.

"Sixteen." He said, Kikyou's porcelain face pinched into a frown.

"Sixteen," she whispered, more to herself than to anyone else, "then you might be…Are you his son? Inuyasha's son?" she asked calmly, but her eyes were flashing. He opened his mouth and again was answering before he knew what he was doing, what was wrong with him? He was losing control.

"Yes." He said bluntly.

As soon as he said it, he heard Nireku hiss, Kite seemed to have already known, Suki was not affected. Sara was staring at him incredulously, as was Kanna. Kikyou grimaced,

"And your mother? She is Kagome is she not?" she asked, again, Li found himself answering, and found the world around him fading.

"Yes." He replied blunt as ever. Sara gasped,

"LI!" she yelled, Kikyou's attention snapped to Sara, she frowned, and then turned back to Li,

"You waste your time my dear." She said, seemingly directing it to Sara, "He cannot hear you." Sara glared at Kikyou,

"Stop this! What are you doing to him?" she yelled, Kikyou ignored her,

"Li, where might I find Inuyasha?" she asked, Sara looked and saw Li shrugging,

"I don't know, I avoid him, he might be in the West by now. Yeah, probably." He said his eyes Sara noticed, lifeless.

"Li stop!" Kanna yelled, he didn't hear. Sara felt rage well within her.

"And your mother Li? Where might she be?" Kikyou asked,

"In the East. With Kouga." He said,

"Stop it Kikyou, or else." Sara said coldly, Kikyou just smirked and turned to her,

"Or else what?" she sneered, and then Sara pulled her staff out, and threw it head long at Kikyou, Kanna threw her ice blade at her at the same time, Kikyou wasn't prepared for this, and both the weapons hit her. She screamed and drew back.

"Damn you both!" she snarled, Nireku began to glow, fire in both his hands, he threw it at Sara, and it hit her dead on.

The slayer girl screamed in agony as the fire came around her. Suddenly another roar filled the group's ears. Li jumped over at Nireku, slashing down his chest, stopping the attack, and then ran over to Sara, putting his red haori around her to protect her from the flames.

Li put Sara on a safe spot of ground, and then slowly turned to Kikyou and the other evil band.

"Get away. Now." He growled danger filled his eyes and voice, challenging any of them to come a step closer.

Kikyou looked to Nireku,

"Let us go find his mother." She said, he nodded reluctantly, and then they all disappeared.

Li healed Sara's burns with a soft pink light that emanated from his hand. Kanna just watched,

"I don't get it Li, how in the hec did Nireku resurrect Kikyou? My father mentioned her in the old bed time stories he used to tell me. She died in the final battle with their greatest enemy Naraku." Li listened, then sighed,

"Well, the first time I met Nireku, he told me he was the son of the great demon Naraku. So maybe Naraku's knowledge is still in him. Maybe that's how he knew how." Li said, and then silence followed, Li continuing to heal the unconscious Sara.

"Where did you learn that Li?" Kanna asked, Li shrugged,

"My mother." He said softly. When he was finished he stood. Sara was opening her eyes. She looked up to him, he smiled. She stood and hugged him hard.

"Stupid dog brains! You scared me!" she snapped, Li smiled to himself, then pushed her back.

"Listen you two; I need you to do something for me. I need to go to Sara's village, but if you two wouldn't mind, going and checking on my family in the East. Kanna told me what I said. If you two go and keep them safe until I can get there, maybe they'll be safe." Kanna and Sara nodded,

"Alright, but you stay safe Li, I don't want to find you dead when I get back home." Sara said.

Li promised, and then they all parted ways…

Li stood on the out side of a forest. A wolf pack stood in his way.

"I'll not let you pass!" their leader yelled, Li sighed.

"I don't want to fight." He said, the leader wasn't listening, instead he attacked him.

The fight was brief. And in the end, Li killed the leader. However, there was just one little detail he forgot.

As soon as their leader lay dead. The small pack of about 8 turned to him.

"To our new alpha!" one yelled, Li felt all the blood drain from his face.

"You- of course, how could I be so stupid as to forget that part?" he snapped at himself. Then looked to the pack, and sighed. "Alright, maybe you guys can be helpful, maybe, follow me, we're heading to the village up ahead!" he yelled, a wolf looked to him,

"That's not our land!" it yelled, Li grimaced,

"Well, I guess we'll have to change that now won't we?" he called, and then ran ahead, leading his pack to the village ahead of him…

The demon reared up and slammed Li straight into the village, his pack snarled at its feet, attacking the demon in vain. Li called them off with a sign. The did retreat, if unwillingly, they didn't much care for abandoning him.

The little pack had grown from 8 to 28, in the few weeks he'd been in control. They all loved him dearly though.

Li snapped his attention back on the demon and jumped up attacking it harshly with his claws.

"Dammit!" he snarled as it managed to slice him on the side, and just then Li noticed another blur streak past him.

This one too was fighting the demon apparently, for it drew a huge sword and attacked the demon head on. Li ran right beside the new blur, attacking side by side with it. This demon didn't use his claws as much as Li did, not needing to having that sword. Just then the blur attacked the demons front, and Li jumped behind the demon's unguarded back, slicing it straight down the middle. With a scream the demon died vanishing into a pile of ashes.

Li and the other demon landed gracefully on the ground. Immediately Li was on guard again, waiting for the dust to settle so he could see the other man.

When the dust cleared Li about fainted. Standing not twenty feet from him was his complete and total double. However, he knew who it really was. He'd seen this man's picture. His eyes wide, he whispered,

"Dad?"

AN: Buwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! I am so evil, but I really am tired of writing, I've been up for hours! Ok, so by the way, this is not the REAL Kikyou, this is a replica that Nireku created; however, she has the safe desires as the real thing. The real Kikyou is standing up in the spirit world shaking her head sadly. VERY sadly. Anyway, thanx for reading!


	10. Saying Hello

AN: Ok, the second part to my favorite chappie, thanks to all you who reviewed, I really appreciate it! Send me questions and I shall give you answers, send me flames, and I shall use them constructively to humiliate you. So there! Oh and by the way, something I realize I forgot to mention, Li's wolf demon friend Kyto, yeah, he died in chappie five that never got written! So yeah, sadness. Kouga does seem a little meaner in this chappie, but hey, he's kinda my antagonist. So whatever!

Disclaimer: Alright, I admit it! I do not own Inuyasha; however, I do own something just as sweet! LI!!! He is so adorable!

**Chapter 10**

**Saying Hello…**

Li just stared at the man across the way from him, long white hair, dog ears, and a haori, a deep blue rather than the red one that he himself wore at that moment.

"Dad?" he said, the word came out clearly, which surprised him, even more so was that it also came strongly, not even a slight quiver haunting it.

The man, Inuyasha he knew his name to be, just stood there for a second before saying,

"Li?" very softly, as though it was an impossibility that Li was standing in front of him. "Li, w, what?" Inuyasha couldn't go on, he seemed at a loss for words, Li however suffered no such impairment. Suddenly he was angry.

"Yeah, that _is_ my name; I'm surprised you even know it! In fact, I bet you heard it off someone, how else could you know it? You were _never _even around!" he snapped, his voice cold, but not ever rising above a normal volume. He wasn't going to treat this fight like it was with Kouga; he was going to handle it differently.

Inuyasha just stared, and then he shook his head slowly, and said quietly,

"I, I'm sorry, I, it, it's complicated why I-" Li cut him off sharply,

"Why you what? Ran off? Deserted me? Mom? How can it be complicated why you abandoned your family? I can't think of a 'complication' that would be worth it!" Li said coolly, his eyes narrowed with an anger he hadn't felt until he'd seen Inuyasha face to face.

Inuyasha shook his head,

"You don't understand, I, there _was _a reason I left, and I didn't want it to be that way Li, you have to believe me I never-" Inuyasha was cut off once more when Miroku came running up behind Li calling to him,

"Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled, Li's arm shot out stopping the monk in mid stride,

"He's busy." Li snapped icily. Miroku nodded,

"Alrighty then! I'll come back later!" and the monk spun on his heel and walked away. Inuyasha watched Li for a long time before hanging his head in defeat and saying,

"Li, if it's answers you want, then by all means, I'll give them to you, if you don't want answers, then feel free to beat me around, I probably deserve it. Or if you just wanna turn around and leave, whatever, but it's your decision." And then the hanyou was silent. Li stared at him, and then sighed,

"If I beat you up, Sara would kill me, if I just ran, I wouldn't get done what I came here to do in the first place, and Sara would kill me, so that leaves me with only hearing you out, so let's hear it." Inuyasha nodded and pointed to a hut,

"Let's go in there; we'll have the time we need." He said, Li nodded and began to follow before he turned to the pack.

"Make yourselves useful, secure the perimeter, and tell me if you see _anything _unusual, no matter how trivial. Alright?" he ordered, the pack was gone in an instant. And Li followed his father into the hut.

As soon as they sat down Inuyasha began his story, from the very beginning, the _very _beginning, before Kagome, before anything, the day he'd first met Kikyou. And so he went from there, telling it like it happened, until he got to the day of the festival.

"And then your uncle Sesshomaru came and told me; there had arisen a conflict between him self and at least five other demon lords. They all road out for my blood, as well as his. He was well known of, so there was nothing he could do to protect anyone from knowing of his wife and soon to be born child. But he did send his adopted daughter Rin to come live here for a time. I however, was less known, I had a chance to protect you and your mother from the demons that I knew would come after me, and in so doing, kill you two as well. I knew there was no way I could protect you both in the years to come, at least not totally. One way or anther, you would be harmed, and I didn't want you to grow up knowing war, as I did. So I made the decision, I would feign running out on your mother so she'd hate me, and then she'd be safe. I watched you, did you know? Until you were about 8 or 9, then you got too good for me." Inuyasha sighed as he finished his tale. Li was quiet before he said,

"Well, your entire plan almost worked, except for one thing." Inuyasha looked to his son,

"And what was that?" he asked, Li smiled,

"Mom still loves you I think." He replied, Inuyasha looked stunned, but then shook himself then sighed, but his eyes were considering, and then he asked,

"So, how'd life like a wolf go?" he asked, a wry smile on his lips. Li groaned, and told him everything. Start to present day. And when he was done, Inuyasha growled softly,

"That fool, treating you as though you were me!" he shook his head in a resigned way, "It truly is my fault anyway. Bu-" just then one of Li's wolves entered, the man was panting,

"Li, There is a demon coming this way!" he yelled, Li and Inuyasha jumped up simultaneously, and ran outside.

"Li, watch your back!" Inuyasha called, Li spun in mid air, raking his claws down the demons left arm, which then became immobile. He nodded his thanks to his dad and jumped back as Inuyasha dealt the final blow with his sword. Li grinned at him as he landed,

"Man," Li said, "I need one of those swords!" he laughed good naturedly. Inuyasha laughing with him, Sango and Miroku watched a smile on both of their faces; it seemed that father and son were getting along fine now.

"But how good are your reflexes I wonder?" Inuyasha teased, throwing a fake punch at the laughing youth, who ducked and swung out his leg to trip Inuyasha up, he failed as his father jumped and attempted to hit Li over the head, he too missed. The two went on like this for some time.

They would have for much longer, however, suddenly Li heard a scream and stopped, his father hearing it as well, also stopped and looked in the direction from whence it came.

There in the distance a bird demon was carrying someone towards them, Li's eyebrows raised,

"I'll take this one?" he asked, Inuyasha nodded and when the demon was just above them he jumped up and sliced the bird demon quickly. Inuyasha caught what seemed to be a very small girl in his arms. She couldn't be more than five. And by her sent a wolf demon.

When Li landed the little girl squirmed her way out of Inuyasha's arm and ran to him,

"LI! There you are! Where have you been?" she called, Li stared at the little girl stuck to his leg for a moment before he seemed to figure out who it was,

"Anè!" he cried, picking the little girl up and hugging her tightly, "what are _you _doing here little one?" he asked, unconsciously calling her the same name Kyto used to call him by. Anè looked up at him a tear in her eye,

"That demon took me here, I don't know why." Li growled,

"Where was your father?" he asked coldly, Inuyasha saw Anè's little eyes widen at Li's tone, and she said softly,

"He was near by, but he never saw it coming." Li growled again but said nothing. Anè looked over to Inuyasha,

"Are you Li's daddy?" she asked, Inuyasha nodded, she grinned, and then Li handed her to Inuyasha who took her.

"Inuyasha take care of her, I need to go get my mom and _her_ father alright? Can you do that?" he asked, noticing the uncomfortable look on Inuyasha's face, Inuyasha nodded,

"Yeah, I'm fine with it, just, who is her mom?" he asked softly, but Li had the feeling he already knew. Li looked away from him and didn't answer. At that exact moment, it happened.

Sara ran into the village, Kanna at her heels. They looked over to Li and Inuyasha and gasped, and then Li heard another gasp and turned to see his mother, Kouga, and Kouga's entire hunting party behind them. Kouga stood there looking furious, his eyes blazed at the sight of Inuyasha holding his daughter, and at Li standing beside him. Inuyasha seemed to confirm the girl's origins in that moment, and a flash of hurt entered his eyes, he put the girl in Li's arms and looked to Kagome. She couldn't even look at him; she was staring at Li, her eyes spilling over with tears.

Suddenly Kouga's rage got the better of him, and in an instant he crossed the distance between himself and Li, and punched him hard.

Sara screamed, Kanna winced at her cousins pain, Inuyasha roared, but none of them were fast enough to beat Li's pack to Kouga, and they beat him to the ground before his own pack could stop them. Li jumped up and called his pack off, leaving a bloodied Kouga in the middle of the road. None the less the wolf prince stood, his eyes boring holes into Li, who was too busy looked at his own pack with a totally surprised look to even notice the others stare.

Inuyasha snarled,

"Kouga you fool this fight is not his, so don't even take it out on him that he _saved _you daughter Anè's life!" he yelled, Kouga stepped back, and then roared at Inuyasha,

"And what experience do you have on the subject? You weren't even there to protect either of them mutt face! When exactly did you become the family expert?" Inuyasha frowned, but suddenly Li cut in.

"No dad. This _is _my fight, no matter whose it started out as, it's mine now."

He wiped the blood from his lip and walked to the front of his pack, picked up his little sister and in the blink of an eye put her in Kagome's arms. Then he stood in front of Kouga again, Kouga's eye couldn't follow Li's actions, that wasn't how it had been before. Not at all. Li suddenly hear Sara let out a soft groan, and he smelt her blood, she was wounded, Li was going to go to her but Kouga growled, baring his fangs, and stepped in front of Li, Li snarled,

"If you are stupid enough to not know when it is time to be an alpha and when it's time to be a leader, I should have taken the pack ages ago Kouga, go and check on Anè, if you were so worried, I'm sorry but I _do not_ have time to take care of you right now, I have other things to worry about, like my people, and my friends, they have been putting themselves in danger to come and warn my family which they did voluntarily, they didn't have to. They risked themselves for you but if you're not even going to be a good enough leader to be worth it then by all means keep on and I'll kill you later, despite what my mom and sister might say, keep out of my way though, I'm warning you." Li's voice was cold and never once did he yell, he kept calm the whole time. But somehow, he'd never been more intimidating. Kouga stepped away, and Li went over to Sara.

Her wounds were minor, he healed them with a brighter than necessary light, his pack watched in awe, Kouga was stunned, as was Inuyasha, Kagome was wide eyed as well, none of them having known that Li was capable of things like that. Anè had known all along though. She didn't even blink.

When he was done Li looked Kanna over, but she was clean, and then he turned to his pack, and said,

"Listen, you guys go and cover the perimeter, I'm not taking any chances, they are all here now, Nireku won't be far behind at all. We have got a big problem on the horizon." He ordered, all but three left, these were his 'body guards' so to speak, and he allowed them to do this for the simple reason that they wanted to, and he didn't really care.

Finally Li turned to Inuyasha and said,

"I need to kinda take control if you don't mind? It's not _your _village right?" Inuyasha nodded, smiling at his son,

"You do it better than me, son." He said, Li grinned, and then put on an emotionless face and went to talk to Kouga, and then Sara was suddenly at his side, clinging to his arm, he looked down at her,

"What?" he said, she grinned,

"You think you can do it alone?" she asked, and then sighed, "I missed you alright? Just deal with it, I love you and when I'm not with you for a time then I'm gonna want to be with you when I get back, so let's go do this!" she said, Li nodded, and then Kanna was beside him and only said,

"We're family. I have a duty." Li nodded and then went over to Kouga.

"Kouga?" he said, hoping that the man was in calmer spirits, he wasn't. He growled and ignored Li, who sighed and said, "Mom, since he's being a pup, I am going to have to do this with you." Kouga snarled and spun on Li, who never blinked,

"What do you want whelp?" he snapped, Li raised a brow,

"Only to ask you to please stay in the village, there are some people out there who want mom dead, and they wouldn't stop at killing Anè and you and anyone else who happened to end up in their path." He said, Kouga growled,

"I think I can handle it." Li snarled, losing his temper at last,

"You fool! The people, who want her dead, are Naraku's son and a replica of the priestess Kikyou! Not to mention two other strong demons who to say the least despise _me _and would kill my family on a whim. They were after mom and my dad, you think they'd care if they killed you too?" He snarled, upon hearing his words, Kouga's face got white, as did Kagome's, but Inuyasha's got more white than his hair. Then Kouga thought about something,

"How would they know how to find her whelp? Or any of us?" he snapped, Li winced internally, however he was outwardly calm as ever,

"I told them. I was possessed by a spell and told them." He said his voice void of any emotion. Kouga growled,

"Then it is your fault anyway! You betrayed both of your families and you expect me to stay he-" Kouga never finished, Li punched him instantly knocking him unconscious. Li's face was hidden by his bangs, Sara still clung to his arm, her glare at Kouga putrid.

"Never," said Li coldly, "ever say I betrayed my family, they matter to me more than anything, so if you ever say that again, I _will_ kill you." And then Li turned and began to walk away, calling over his shoulder, "You better get him into a hut to rest, he'll be out for a while. Heh, at least it'll be quiet for a time!" and with that he headed off talking to his pack and getting them prepared.

They were sitting ducks on Nireku's radar, who knew when they'd be attacked?

Not long as it soon became apparent.

Days Later…

Inuyasha sat cross legged in the branches of the Goshinboku. To think, sixty-six years ago he was pinned to this very tree. And for fifty more years he would be destined to lay there in a spell like sleep. Until Kagome. Thought of the miko he'd once been mated to made him hurt to his soul.

Funny.

Kikyou had once made him feel the same way. Now that was a scary thought. He just didn't have luck with women. That was the end of it. He was totally hopeless, just like Kagome had always said. He sighed to himself, and then heard a voice call to him,

"Why are you sad Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha looked down to were the voice came from. Little Anè stood there at the bottom of the tree. His eyes widened as the girl climbed the tree with ease and sat beside him. Her head cocked to the side she asked again,

"Why are you so sad?" Inuyasha just blinked at her, then shrugged,

"Nothing important really, I'm just a naturally sad person I think." He said sarcastically. She giggled.

"That's silly, you have no reason to be a naturally sad person!" she said merrily, he raised an eye brow,

"Oh don't I? And how would you know?" he asked, she grinned,

"Cause you've got Li, and he is the best big bro in the world to me, so he's gotta be a good son too right?" she asked, Inuyasha nodded wordlessly, and then Anè continued, "Plus he loves you, see when we were growing up Li always hated it when someone called my daddy his daddy, and they did it anyway. I kinda felt sorry for him, but he didn't really care what they thought. He just didn't like what they _said. _Anyway, he always used to defend you, cause everyone talked of you badly, or they did until he stopped them. Knocked a wolf unconscious cause he called you a bad word. Or at least Li said it wasn't a good one. 'Dirty half breed' I think it was. Is that bad? Li said it was and in my opinion Li knows everything so I just took it for a bad word, it is isn't it?" she asked, her innocence touching Inuyasha deeply. The child was so unaware of what she spoke of. But she was smart; her brains were that of her mother.

"Yeah it is, what about you though, isn't Kagome gonna be looking for you, and, and Kouga?" he asked, Anè shrugged,

"They're fine, Li is talking to dad, and mom is pretending to listen, but I think she was looking for you." She said off handedly, inwardly Inuyasha's heart skipped a beat. Outwardly he just nodded, then silence followed, until Anè unexpectedly broke it.

"You love my mommy don't you?" she suddenly asked.

Inuyasha was taken aback. A child so young understanding every thing around her to such a detail like that. But maybe it was obvious. But Anè continued not allowing confusion.

"I don't mean a while ago, like when you guys had Li, I mean now." She added quickly, "Then isn't important." She finished, and waited for a reply. At first Inuyasha didn't give one,

"Yes." He finally said, Anè nodded as if confirming something,

"I think she might love you too. I mean, she loves my daddy, but they fight more since Li turned older. I was only about three when they started, Li was about fourteen, he told me that he'd been a bit uneasy with Kouga before that but it was only a problem for my mommy and daddy later. Anyway, they fought even more when Li left, and now they fight ten times more, now that he's back that is. I know they love each other though, other wise I wouldn't be here, and Li wouldn't say they did. He says they have a 'I need you, you need me' relationship. What do you think?" she asked.

Inuyasha barely had time to process this before he heard a demon and smelt it as well. In one deft moment he picked up Anè and headed toward the village.

Nireku and his demon minions were already at it with Li, Sara, and Kanna. They were all fighting someone different.

Kanna fought Suki, they two had their weapons drawn and looked like two blurs flying around with occasional spurts of blood.

Sara was facing off with Kikyou, the two locked in a battle, Kikyou no longer held her bow, it was lying near by. Sara was fighting her with her staff while Kikyou held a stick she must have found on the ground.

However this left Li fighting both Nireku and Kite, he wasn't doing too awful though. Kite looked worse for wear, and Nireku looked annoyed. But it soon became apparent that he was annoyed with Kite. Giving the demon glares every now and again. Li too noticed this; apparently they weren't both supposed to be fighting him. Kite must be breaking the rules and ignoring Nireku for a moment.

Inuyasha just stood there a moment, Anè in his arms, the girl was looking at Li, suddenly she said,

"There is a barrier that's why they're fighting all alone. See it?" she asked, he nodded dumbly, but it did explain a lot. Like why Kagome stood near by looking on in horror.

Just then she turned over to Inuyasha holding Anè and watching his son battle the two demons. Anè watching with him perched on his shoulder now to see well. Kagome rushed over.

"Anè were have you been? Your father was worried sick!" she said, picking the girl off Inuyasha and hugging her tightly, Inuyasha barely noticed, his eyes were following his son. Kagome glanced at him, saying softly,

"Will he be ok do you think?" Inuyasha nodded,

"He's our son Kagome, he was made for this kind of thing, or do you not remember our years traveling after the Shikon no Tama?" he asked, she blushed,

"Forget? Don't be a fool, I could never forget, but still he's so young, much younger than you were…" she stopped, her eyes welling up with tears. Inuyasha touched her shoulder gently,

"Stupid, don't cry, he'll do fine, I've seen him fight before, he'll do just fine." Inuyasha whispered, and then Kagome mumbled,

"But he's fighting two demons, not just one! What am I suppose to do but worry?" Inuyasha chuckled,

"Again, I think he can handle himself- don't you believe in him?" he asked, she nodded,

"Of course, he's my son!" she said indignantly, Inuyasha nodded,

"He's mine too." He said, "That's how I know he'll be fine." Just then another voice cut in,

"How can you say that mutt face? You really never were around were you?" said Kouga, Kagome looked to Inuyasha, who shrugged,

"But ya see Kouga, he likes me. That kinda matters, he could give a damn about you. And besides, I named him." Inuyasha said, Kagome looked to Kouga who was glowering at the ground,

"Li doesn't like you Inuyasha, he loves you." Cut in Anè, Inuyasha nodded,

"Sorry, my mistake." He said, with a small nod of his head, Anè nodded, then turned to her dad and said,

"Dad, he doesn't hate you, Li I mean, he told me he just could live without ever seeing you again and not care in the least. So at least he doesn't hate you." Kouga shrugged,

"I couldn't care less what he thinks Anè, he's still a dirty mutt." He growled, Inuyasha growled,

"Hey, he never says anything bad about you Kouga, do the same courtesy in front of the kid will ya? She at least likes Li, don't be making her choose sides." And then they heard Li yelled as he was thrown at the barrier, which he hit and slid down. The two demons he was fighting walking over to him to finish it.

At that moment Sara ran over and attacked Nireku, knocking him into Kite. Nireku sprang at her, and hit her throwing her away across the battle field. Li suddenly stood up.

"Damn you both!" he snarled, "You leave her _out _of this!" and then there was a purple light around him. The barrier, his barrier they now realized disappeared and the energy of it flew to him.

Then he let it out as a blast at Nireku. Kite was not aimed at. And he stared at Li as he hit the ground at a kneel.

"What were you thinking fool?" Kite snarled, "I can kill you now!" just then Sara stood,

"No." she said coldly, "You can't. Not without going through me." Her voice was steady and clear. Li's eyes widened, and he stood with sudden strength.

"Stay back Sara, I'll deal with him, I'm not done with yet." He said to her, she nodded, and was about to turn but then she saw an arrow flying to Li. It was Kikyou's arrow.

"_NO_!" she screamed as the arrow streaked by her and hit Li straight in the back.

His eyes snapped as wide as they'd go. Kagome screamed, Anè hid in her mother's shoulder, Inuyasha closed his eyes, Kouga glanced away. Until suddenly they heard Li chuckle and every looked up to him.

He stood there, the arrow protruding from his higher back. He reached back and pulled it out with ease, then turned to Kikyou who was staring at him, he grinned twirling the arrow,

"See Kikyou, I didn't just inherit my _dad's _abilities, but my mother's too. So your arrows are just like normal ones. They do nothing." He said, and then threw it straight at her again.

It hit her shoulder, and suddenly Nireku appeared, torn up but alive. And he whirled her away. Li looked to Suki and Kite, Suki having finished her fight to escape with her partner,

"Li, I will get you some day. But today, this was a good fight. Hopefully we meet again. Don't let anyone else kill you." Kite said, and with that the two disappeared.

That night Sara sat with Li in a hut, he was leaning back against the wall of it, his eyes closed, but he didn't sleep. Sara was cooking something, though her heart wasn't in it, it was with the man beside her. Her mind began to wander…

_So little time, and so much has changed in that little time. Gods above, what will become of us now? He's going to die if he can't become stronger. I only wish…wait. _

Suddenly a thought hit Sara like lightning. It was a risky plan, only about a thousand things could go wrong, but it was a chance. Where they stood now neither Li nor herself would live to see another fight with Nireku. But there were so many risks! Gods, but if it worked…

Li woke and stretched, Sara was beside him, her head in his chest. He smiled to himself and got up carefully so as not to disturb her. He needed to talk to his dad about something.

Li didn't even knock on the door of his father's hut; he just went in without a word. Inuyasha was sitting up in the floor looking out the window. He turned and smiled at Li,

"How ya feelin?" he asked, Li shrugged,

"I've been worse. Anyway, I need to talk to you about something. You see, Sara and me were talking, and we know I need to get stronger, other wise I'm not gonna be able to fight Nireku at all and hope to win. Especially with Kikyou around. However, there is this spell we could do. It would bond us to each other and increase our capabilities by at least five times. Or even more if it worked at its best. However, before I do this I want to get a few things done to make me stronger, so I was wondering, were did you get that sword?" he said,

Inuyasha smiled and told Li of Tetsaiga's origins. Li listened and nodded, when Inuyasha was finished,

"So all I need to do is find this Totosai person and he'll make me one of the blades right?" Li said, Inuyasha shrugged,

"Maybe, he may, he may not. It depends on the old man's mood. But he probably will. Knowing who you are and what you need the blade for should be enough…" Inuyasha nodded, "Yeah, you'll get one." Li nodded in agreement,

"Let's hope so, cause I leave today. Just don't tell anyone where I've gone, and if you don't mind taking control for a time…" he shrugged, "I can be back quick. I just need to know how to find the old man."

Inuyasha gave his son directions. And then the two headed outside and Li was about to leave, when all of a sudden. A demon landed in the middle of the village. Inuyasha didn't look the least bit disturbed, he knew the demon. However Kanna who was carrying something to Li and her uncle stopped dead, dropped what she was holding and was about to run for it. When her father, Sesshomaru grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN THE LAST MONTH!!!!" he yelled so loud it woke everyone up. Li raised his eye brows.

"Oi." He said softly, Kanna was trying to reply,

"Dad, I, I was having fun, I meant to tell you but I forgot cause these demons were after us an-" she was cut off by Sesshomaru yelling,

"US! WHO THE HELL IS 'US'" his voice boomed, Li jumped in to rescue his half cousin.

"Uh, that would be me and her and Sara sir." He said, Inuyasha was wincing waiting for the impending outburst. It came.

"WHO THE HELL IS HE!!" the taiyoukai yelled, Li never blinked, Kanna was cowering. Sara walked up to Li kissing his cheek,

"You going already?" she muttered sleepily, "Come back soon love." And then giving a wink to Kanna walked away, Li smiled after her nodding and then looked back to Sesshomaru,

"I'm Kanna's half cousin Li, Inuyasha's son. And it's my fault she was gone, me and Sara got lost and we needed a guide to get out of the forest so we convinced Kanna to help. Sorry." He said bowing. "Please blame me for it, however, you might have to wait because I'm going off right now, I will come back soon though so if you could wait I'll take any punishment later. Thank you very much." He said and then was walking off. Sesshomaru just staring after him. Kanna slipped out of her father's grasp and disappeared.

Kanna rejoined Li outside the village.

"So, were are we heading?" she asked, he grinned,

"To the sword smith Totosai." He answered, she grinned,

"I've been there before, I'll take you!" she said, he nodded,

"I'd hoped you would." He said, and then they headed away together.

AN: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA


	11. Learning How To Be

AN: Oi, this is going to be a rather large chappie I think! Ok, so I guess I'll just tell you, I AM LOVIN YOU GUYS! Thanks a ton for your support, I probably don't deserve it! Anyway, let's get this on with eh?

DISCLAIMER: you know the drill I hope?

**CHAPTER 11**

**Learning How To Be…**

Li sighed as the sun hit his face. Kanna stood beside him; the two were in the middle of a beautiful valley. Kanna pointed beyond them to a mountain range in the distance.

"I think this is as far as I'll go with you Li, I'm sorry. I know my duty to my father, I have to head back to your village now." She said, Li nodded absently, until he fully processed what she'd just said,

"Whoa, whoa! Wait Kanna, it's not _my-_" he turned but she was already bounding off. He sighed, "Well that's just like her." He mumbled, and then looked in the direction where, according to Kanna, Totosai the sword smith was hidden.

_Great, this should be REALLY interesting…I kinda wish Kyto was here…_ Li closed his eyes at the memory of his dead friend…

Flash back

"_**Young master Li; there is truth in this… Only in Death shall we accomplish what we want most!" **the huge wolf called to him, _

"_Kyto!" he yelled to the large wolf that jumped in front of the Sara; the blast hit Kyto strait on._

"_**Be strong-Little One…"**_

End Flash back…

Li looked again to his destination,

"What am I waiting for?" he said, and then a strong wind blew around him, pushing him in the direction he wanted to go. He grinned, "I was going Kyto, no need to _rush_ me." He said sarcastically, then next gust about blew him over, he chuckled, "Either I'm going insane, or you're a tad angry." He teased, and then he began his journey.

Sara sat in the house that she had shared with her family for her entire life, some how, it suddenly didn't feel so much like home. It was weird that the place that she had lived in her entire life now suddenly seemed strange and unfamiliar. However, she didn't find herself being very upset about this. Her only thoughts were of Li. Gods only knew where he might be at that exact moment, it had been she who had sent him out on this somewhat ridiculous escapade to get stronger so that she and him could bond together, so if Li died while he was out there…it would be her fault.

Sara shivered at this thought, and a tear slid down her face. It was soon followed by another, and another, until she was crying quite steadily.

Sango entered Sara's old room silently and wrapped her arms around the weeping girl.

"Shh dear, come on it's alright. Li will be fine, he'll be just fine." Sango murmured to her daughter, trying her best to comfort the girl. Sara nodded, but her tears continued to fall steadily, then she whispered,

"Mom, if he dies, it's my fault." Sango stared at Sara for a moment, then smiled and hugged the girl harder,

"Don't worry dear, if anyone can survive out there, it will be him." She said, her daughter just continued to cry. Mentally Sango was hoping her words were true.

_Li if you don't come back I'm going to kill you boy! _Sango thought, and then she hugged her daughter some more.

There seemed to be no comforting Sara however…

Kagome walked through the halls of Sango's home, Miroku had said she was in here somewhere. However as Kagome passed Sara's room, she saw her friend comforting her crying daughter, she frowned, and was about to ask what was wrong when suddenly she heard Sara say,

"Mom, if he dies, it's my fault." Kagome's heart flew to her throat with Sango's reply.

"Don't worry dear, if anyone can survive out there, it will be him."

Kagome just stared at the two, and then she ran.

Kagome flew out of the house and ran through the village, her heart pounding like a two ton hammer in her chest.

_No, no, no don't let it be true, please don't let it be true! _She thought desperately.

Soon Kagome saw who she was looking for; Inuyasha sat on the ground with a few people, one being his brother, sitting with him. Kagome didn't seem to see them; instead she just ran up to Inuyasha and yelled,

"Where is my son!?" her voice was sharp and commanding, but there was desperation in it as well. Inuyasha didn't blink,

"He left this morning, why?" he replied, Kagome's eyes flashed,

"He left? To go where?" she snapped, ignoring his question,

"To see Totosai." Inuyasha replied, Kagome stomped her foot,

"Why the hell would he leave the village to go see that senile old fool _now_? We needed him here and if he's out there he can get killed by Nireku, if they get him, then he'll stand no chance against all of them! What were you thinking letting him go off on something as dangerous as that?" she ranted, Inuyasha said nothing until she was silent,

"Didn't you do the same thing when he left the first time Kagome?" he said calmly, Kagome's face turned red,

"No, I didn't know that anyone would want to kill him then Inuyasha! If I would have known I'd have never done it!" Inuyasha smiled, at her words,

"Well, if that's the case, I have another question, how exactly would you have me stop him from leaving? I probably could have over powered him if it were just a normal day, but he was going because of Sara, and he really wanted to go, and he had a guide to show him the entire way. Kagome with all that I would have had to kill him to stop him. Even if it was just Sara asking him to go, which she didn't really do, but he went for her, even with just that, he'd have kicked my ass severely; I'd be lying in a ditch somewhere. So I had to let him go thank you, and you should have more faith in him, he'll be fine. We're the ones who should be worrying about not having him _here_, not the other way around." And with that Inuyasha stood and walked away. Kagome just stared after him. And then she too walked the other way.

Kanna slid into the hut that Li had formerly occupied. It was the dead of night, she'd deal with her father in the morning, and he would be ready to kill her then anyway.

_Maybe this way he'll let me off a bit easier. One more night to think it over won't kill him. _She thought, then sighing she lay down on the cot that was in the back room.

She was about to close her eyes, when suddenly, she saw two golden orbs staring back at her.

Kanna never had a chance to move. The second she saw the eyes, they were an inch from her, and her father's familiar grip was on her wrist.

"Kanna." He said his voice ice. She whimpered. "Kanna, do you have anything to say?" he asked, his voice calm but scary. She whispered hoarsely,

"Daddy, I'm sorry, I just really got caught up in the moment, and Sara and Li were so cool, they were having huge adventures and I was stuck at home, I just wanted to have an adventure too. I'm sorry daddy." She said all this with a very tiny voice, and she felt herself getting smaller as he stood there. However, her father's reaction was nothing like she expected,

"You certainly got what you wanted didn't you?" he asked, his voice sounding more tired all of a sudden, she nodded, he smiled softly, and then hugged his daughter, "If you ever do that again, as soon as I find you I'll kill you." He snapped, but she could hear a relief in his voice. He'd been scared.

She smiled to herself and nodded into her father's arms.

"Yes dad, I promise…"

Nireku glared at Kite who stood near by, his face a mask of contempt. That demon thought too much for him self.

_He is more dangerous than Kikyou, even with all her conniving ways. He's got a will of his own. _Nireku thought, his cold gaze slid over to Suki, the demon that had always followed Kite into battle and come out as well.

She was silently sitting on a ledge of the room, in her hands she held a pool of silver liquid, and she was staring into it. She did that a lot now a days, though she never told anyone what she saw in the crystal pool.

Suki looked over to him at that moment, her dead eyes searching his for a moment; he hated it when she did this. Soon however her eyes confirmed what ever it was they had wanted to know, and she looked back to the pool.

Shivering, Nireku looked over to Kikyou. The dark priestess was sitting there, her herbs and arrows by her side. Kikyou had the ability to heal anyone in the world. But this Kikyou was different, the true Kikyou was still up in the spirit world, this Kikyou was a replica of the woman who was now dead. Her spirit was that of a priestess and a demon mix. Like that of the pup Li.

At this thought Nireku frowned, it might be a reason why Kikyou was so drawn to the pup. Using him for information, and watching him all the time she could.

_She should still love Inuyasha, so what is her use of the pup? _He thought to himself, the replica of the once great woman just sat there, her eyes closed; she was trying to find the pup's location now.

Kite suddenly straitened, his eyes narrowing,

"Something is wrong. What is your priestess doing Nireku?" the demon snapped, Nireku glared at the other man,

"Nothing is _wrong_ she is just trying to find Li, now calm yourself, you don't need to question me. Just do as you're told." Nireku snapped, Kite glowered, and growled

"If I always did 'as I was told' I'd be dead right about now. Don't try to own me Nireku, I'm here cause' I wish to be, don't confuse your position over me with a master rather than employer." The demon said icily,

Nireku snarled,

"Maybe you are more trouble than you're worth Kite, don't allow me to think on this to heavily, or you may pay the price." He snapped, Kite snarled himself,

"You can't kill Li without me, what are you going to do?" he yelled, Suki looked up from her pool, and opened her mouth to say something, however, Nireku was faster. In a single instant, he shot out a knife like hand, and it went strait through Kite's chest.

Kite just stared at it for a moment, before he fell to his knees, blood dripping down from the wound. Nireku pulled the knife/hand back, letting the hole in Kite's chest bleed more freely. Kite looked to Suki, who stared blankly at him, and then he took his last breath.

Kikyou, who had not opened her eyes yet, finally did so.

"Nireku, we should just attack Inuyasha's little village, Li will come soon if we do." she said, not even glancing at Kite's body. Nireku nodded,

"I agree, however, we shouldn't do it just yet, I still need to recover from my own encounter with him last time, for now let us just find a place to call home for a time." He said, and then stood, Kikyou beside him, Suki just watched them with her ever blank eyes, "Come Suki." he said, and then he headed out with Kikyou on his arm.

Suki walked over to Kite when they were gone, and closed his death ridden eyes for the last time…

Li sat in the home of Totosai the sword smith. The man himself right across from him,

"So you want a sword for yourself you say?" Totosai asked, Li nodded wordlessly, Totosai nodded, "And you're Inuyasha's whelp too?" Li nodded again, Totosai nodded, and then said, "Well, I don't see why not!" Li sighed in relief, until Totosai interrupted, "However, the sword I am going to make for you Li, this sword will take a lot of training to hold correctly. Are you still sure this is what you want?" the old man asked, Li nodded,

"Yes, I'm sure."

AN: ok, that is one more chappie down, thanks to all of you beloved people who review, and thanks for reading all you people who don't review. Ok, so I think this chappie is pretty good, I am very happy with all the different view points it took on, I hope I did all of those to your satisfaction. Now, I am working on a story for some friends of mine at the same time as this one, so updates may get a bit father apart, we'll just have to see. Alright, see-ya next time!


	12. Conversations And Relizations

AN: OK, well, I think the last one was a bit short so I'll compensate with this one. Ok, this one kinda becomes a bit of a song fic. I don't own the song by the way. Ok, one more thing, VOTE FOR PAIRINGS!!!!!! KOUGA/ KAGOME or INUYASHA/KAGOME. Ok? Ok. If you don't vote the ending will be very annoying, believe me!

Disclaimer: I think the word alone speaks for itself!

**CHAPTER 12**

…**CONVERSATIONS AND RELIZATIONS…**

Sara sat with Anè and a few of the other village children, telling them stories of days when she and Li had fought demons and other things like that. Her words seem to mesmerize the young ones; their eyes wide and intent on her as though every word she spoke were the absolute truth and law. She just continued, smiling at parts that held special meaning, and rolling her eyes at parts she could have lived without.

Sara was half way through the story of the time she and Li met up with Kite and Suki, when she saw the wolf pack that Li had come to be the alpha of, coming her way. She stood, smiling as warmly as she could manage, when they were about six feet from her, most stopped, and one came forward.

He was taller than her by at least two feet, and Sara was at least 5 feet herself. He had long hair, not held back, and he seemed to be a tad unhappy. He gave her a nod that was meant to be a bow and said,

"Excuse me Sara, but we were wondering; when is our leader coming back to us?" the man said, Sara smiled weakly and said,

"I really couldn't tell you, I'm sorry. He went to a sword smith to get a blade for himself; he didn't say when he'd return." Her reply brought a frown to his face, and then he gave Sara a real bow.

"His pack should have accompanied him to this, 'sword smith'. If anything should happen to him while he is away, we take full responsibility Sara, and I will personally see you are protected." Here he hesitated, and said, rather reluctantly, "May I ask you a rather, well, I suppose you might say, _personal _question?" Sara blinked and then nodded,

"Sure." He nodded, though still reluctantly, and said,

"Are you…should we consider you our Alpha female, is that what you would be considered by Li?" Sara blushed; she could guess what he was getting at.

"Well, not _exactly_ that, but… yes, I suppose that is what you should see me as, yeah." She muttered blushing heavily, the wolf nodded, seemingly not noticing her discomfort.

"Good, well then, what should we do? Usually we scout out the village and near by the village, but I am afraid most of it is demon infested anyway, but if you think we should continue…" he trailed off, Sara thought for a moment before saying,

"Do you remember Nireku's sent?" she asked, the wolf nodded, "Then here is what I want you to do." she said, "send a few wolves out in different directions to search for Nireku's sent, that way you can have more wolves around here to protect the village if it's attacked by any other demons got it?" the wolf nodded, and said,

"We call that sent scouting, it takes less time and groups of wolves can be smaller, just so you know. We'll get right to it." And then he went back to the wolves and they split up almost immediately, Sara sighed, looking to the children.

"Well, you'll want me to finish this story right? Ok, so this is what happened…"

Kagome watched as Sara spoke with a wolf from Li's pack, after a time the wolf left and Sara went to continue the story she'd been telling the children. Kagome remembered doing the same thing so long ago herself. Sitting there telling the village children stories of her adventures with Inuyasha searching for jewel shards. Kouga sat beside her; he was trying to ignore the other wolves around him that didn't belong to his own pack. It was barely working for him. He growled when they came to close, or he just growled in annoyance with the world in general.

"Kagome, is something wrong?" Kouga suddenly asked, she turned to the wolf leader, his eyes held a concern that she hadn't seen in quite a while. She shook her head,

"Naw Kouga, I'm fine, just worried I guess. Li's been gone for a few weeks you know." she said, Kouga scoffed,

"He will be fine cause people like him always are." He muttered, Kagome glanced his way,

"What do you mean?" she asked, Kouga shrugged,

"I liked his father just about the same amount as Li right? And no matter what horrible situation, or seemingly fatal situation mutt face found him self in, he always managed to survive, _somehow_. If Li's his son, he'll be just as unnatural." Kagome just stared at Kouga for a moment, not sure if that had been a compliment or not.

She was just about to ask when Inuyasha tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to him, Kouga growling beside her,

"Yes Inuyasha?" she asked, he looked rather unhappy; he just nodded to the forest not saying a word.

Kagome frowned before remembering that when Inuyasha did this it meant for her to follow, and usually that something bad was about to happen. So she stood and said,

"Kouga I'll be right back I promise." The wolf growled and said nothing. Kagome chuckled and followed Inuyasha into the forest.

_Another turning point, _

_A fork stuck in the road  
Time grabs you by the wrist, _

_Directs you where to go_

Kagome looked at the hanyou beside her. He walked with that ever strong powerful stance, and that confidante step. He really hadn't changed. Or had he? His eyes were cooler now. Less arrogant fire, calmer outer aurora, he was different. He'd grown up. The man she'd known so long ago seemed to have almost fully disappeared. He was a new person. Suddenly, Kagome wanted answers. She wanted to know why she had been forced to live without him for so long, why had she fallen out of the loop? Why did he just run off on her? What had happened? Why, why, why!?

_So make the best of this test,_

_And don't ask why  
It's not a question, _

_But a lesson learned in time_

Inuyasha stopped her when they reached the God Tree. Kagome smiled, this was where she had first met Inuyasha, gods, how long ago that had been! She turned to Inuyasha, he was watching her, his face not betraying even a bit of emotion.

"Kagome." He whispered, she nodded,

"Yeah?" she asked, cocking her head, "what's up Inuyasha, is something wrong?" Inuyasha smiled very softly,

"No, I, I just wanted to ask you something, do you mind?" he asked, she shrugged,

"I wasn't doing anything important. Why did you think I was?" Inuyasha gave her a wry smile,

"I just figured since you were with Kouga." He replied, Kagome shrugged,

"We were just talking, now what were you wondering?" she asked, Inuyasha asked very softly,

"I was wondering if you would mind if I told you good-bye?" his voice was steady, but held a lot of emotion in it. Kagome felt like she was suddenly drowning.

_It's something unpredictable, _

_But in the end is right,_

_I hope you had the time of your life_

"Good-bye?" she croaked, he nodded,

"I never told you good-bye when I left last time, you deserved one, but I didn't have the time. You were asleep when I said good-bye, and now that you have Kouga, I just figured I owed you another one." He said, watching her closely.

Kagome was speechless. Her mind reeled.

_Why is he doing this? Wait, why do I have a problem with it? Why is this so hard? Why do I still care?_ She thought, her mind was tipsy, somehow though, after a very long silence, she managed a soft nod.

_So take the photographs, _

_And still frames in your mind,  
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time.  
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial,  
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while. _

Inuyasha took a few steps closer to Kagome pulling her into a hug. Her body was tense for a moment, before she relaxed,

"I'm sorry Kagome, I never meant any harm to you, in fact that's what I left you for, to protect you, please believe me." He whispered, Kagome nodded but said nothing. Inuyasha pulled back a little and kissed her forehead, "Good-bye Kagome." He whispered, and stepped back to leave. Kagome's head reeled again, and then acted on its own.

In one swift motion, she pulled Inuyasha's head to hers and pressed her lips to his.

_It's something unpredictable, _

_But in the end is right,  
I hope you had the time of your life. _

Inuyasha was stunned for a moment, before pulling Kagome to him once again and kissing her back. They stood there for a moment, just kissing like they used to, and for a moment, both were in the past. Before Kagome was suddenly jerked out of it by Kouga's image in her mind.

Kagome pulled away from Inuyasha quickly, taking a few steps back away from him.

"N, no." she muttered, "No. I, I can't." she whispered, and then ran away heading back to the village. Inuyasha just stood there watching her go…

_It's something unpredictable, _

_But in the end is right,  
I hope you had the time of your life. _

Kanna and Sara ate together in Li's old hut, one plate between them. Both had their minds on a certain dog boy who was out who _knows_ where maybe fighting or dieing or something else terrible and evil. Both women were thinking this; however they neither said a word about it. Kanna watched the rain that had begun falling steadily at mid day. The grey sky above them reflected the mood of both of them.

Sara sighed and stood going outside without a word. Rey, who was also in the little hut, stood to follow, however, Kanna shook her head and he sat back down.

Sara went out side, the rain falling on her face and arms, however, she didn't care. She kept walking through it. Her feet kept her moving until she got to her mother's home. There her other brother and sisters were amusing themselves indoors. As far as she could se they hardly noticed her. She walked past the house and let her feet guide her farther on.

_I know now that I love Li, but he's been gone so long, I don't think that is what's bothering me, what is this bad feeling I'm getting?_ She thought as she kept walking.

Suddenly there were two wolves at her side. The actual animal not the human like demons. She stopped and looked at them, they stopped, looked both ways and then to her.

"What is it?" she asked, "why are you two here?" they didn't understand of course, and just stared up at her, she sighed, "well I guess I could use the company." She muttered, and then continued walking.

After a time she felt herself stop, and looked up to see where her feet had led her to stop. She was standing at the base of the God Tree. She smiled,

"How ironic. The same place I went to the day before I met Li. I spent the night in these branches. Maybe this means he's going to be coming home soon eh?" she asked the wolves, and then sat on the roots, the branches of the tree protecting her from the rain itself. The wolves lay beside, her warming her with their bodies, and she soon found herself thinking back on her adventures so far…

_Li and I met, I guess that's where it began really, if I hadn't met up with him none of this would have ever happened. But then again, maybe it would have, surly he would have met up with Nireku anyway, yeah, but what about Kanna? No, he wouldn't have met with her, I was the one who thought of the BRILLIANT plan to go and get LOST in the Western forests. Yeah, she'd still be there. And he would probably never have met Inuyasha, and he wouldn't have ever gone off on this little escapade that I sent him on. But I didn't really. I just told him that we could bond; he was the idiot that decided to run off and get stronger all of a sudden. Yeah. And Kikyou, I bet he'd have met up with that little evil……person one way or another, I think she sought him out to be truthful. But he would have totally spilt his guts to her when she met him if I hadn't been there. That is a truth I guess. _

Suddenly it occurred to Sara that she and Li had changed quite a bit just by meeting each other, and probably even more so by falling in love, and tons more when they had decided to travel together. With these thoughts on her mind soon Sara fell into a deep sleep. Her last thought before fading into sleep consisted of a certain dog boy that was grinning at her. She smiled as the night claimed her mind…

Morning hit with a bang. An entire hut went up in flame. Kagome shot up, her head hitting Kouga's shoulder as she did so. He looked out the window to see Nireku attacking the villagers. Along with him was a herd of demons. With a growl he stood and Kagome followed.

As soon as the two left the hut, they found that Sango's entire family was already out there, Sara was running in from the forest, a couple wolves with her, Li's entire wolf pack, and Kanna and Sesshomaru, as well as Inuyasha all stood ready to fight. Li was still no where to be found.

Kagome grabbed her bow and arrows. Inuyasha had drawn his Tetsaiga, and the others all had their weapons at the ready. The battle royal began.

Nireku was easily taking on Inuyasha; Kouga had taken on a bunch of demons, joined by his and Li's pack. Sara seemed to have a personal fight with Kikyou, and Kanna was taking on Suki in a similar fashion. Kagome found her self picking off demons with the others, however, this seemed wrong. Something was terribly wrong.

Suddenly Nireku knocked Inuyasha away across the entire village, and Sesshomaru took his place, something was wrong, Nireku was much too strong all of a sudden. Sesshomaru soon joined Inuyasha across the village, and then Nireku went after Kagome.

She dodged away from him, his moves were nothing like Naraku's had been however for soon he had her in one of his long tentacles. Suddenly there was a flash of light and Sara cut Kagome loose, Kanna providing a momentary distraction for Kikyou having kicked Suki away. Suki however soon attacked again and Kanna was fighting.

Sara was almost his with Kikyou's arrow; she dodged and then was flying at the woman again. Kagome was running from Nireku, she couldn't find anywhere safe. Just then Nireku turned as Sara knocked Kikyou unconscious. Enraged Nireku flew at her, when he was only a few inches from her, there was another flash.

Nireku was thrown away in the blast, rubble and dust flew every where, Nireku was thoroughly banged up. And when the dust cleared, Li stood in front of them, a huge sword in one hand. He smiled a bit evilly,

"Hey guys, did ya miss me?"

AN: ok did ya like? I got a question from Lionessisrin again, and then answer is,

AR: ok, so this story will be ending in about three or four chappies, however, this is a rather ruff estimate, so ya never know!

alrighty then, review and VOTE FOR PAIRINGS. Ok then ga-bye!


	13. A New Fang & The Battle Royal

AN: ok, so I got votes, and this is how it stands, 3 Inu/Kag 0 Koug/Kag! And I do accept anonymous votes too so don't be shy! Ok, so, if you're at my bio page in the future, and READ, what it says, -I know, that's a stretch for me sometimes, I usually skip to the bottom- anyway, if you read it it'll tell you a bit about my future plans for a new story, not very much but a little. Ok, so on with the story!!!!

Oh, and by the way, I got a comment from one reviewer who said Kagome's coming out as a kind of bitch, considering she was with Inuyasha and then went to mate with Kouga. I kinda have to agree. She does seem that way, but ya know, that is just her confusion on the matter. And Kouga of course was the one fueling her to mate with him, she did it only because most likely she was lonely and probably felt more secure with someone with her, and subconsciously she thought Kouga was a close second to Inuyasha anyway. And he was a friend ya know? The only other guy she even liked who was in the Fudle era. So that's my explanation on that one, now remember, VOTE!!!

PS: I kinda explain this later. The whole kag is a bitch thing anyway .

Disclaimer: INUYASHA IS NOT MINE! O-m-g, I think that's the first real one I've ever written! Wow.

CHAPTER 13

A NEW FANG

_&_

THE BATTLE ROYAL

Li stood there, the smoke slowly disappearing into a faint dust in the air. Nireku glared from where he lay sprawled from the attack. Inuyasha was managing to finally sit up, along with Sesshomaru. Sara was smiling from where she stood, her eyes brimming with tears of joy. Kanna smiled at Li, and then there was Kagome, who was grinning absurdly.

Slowly everyone's gaze fell to the blade in Li's hand. It looked similar to Tetsaiga, however with one large difference. Engraved in the blade, there was a symbol, and it was glowing very faintly. Kagome frowned softly,

_What is that? Demonic energy maybe? _She thought, but before she could say anything, she saw Li looking around as if searching for someone. Then he looked to Nireku,

"Where is Kite Nireku? I kinda wanted to test this out on him before I killed _you _with it." He said lightly, Nireku snarled,

"He is already dead pup, I killed him." Nireku's words brought a frown to Li's face,

"Oh?" he said coolly, "That's too bad, he was worth fighting." Li said, Nireku smirked,

"Cry for him if you will, however right now I must say you should be worrying about your own soul." The demon said, and then nodded behind Li, glaring he turned and his eyes flashed.

Kikyou stood there, an arrow aimed at him, Sara lay, now unconscious at the two times dead miko's feet. Kikyou's eyes studied him, concentrating on him. Li just watched her, until he felt that feeling of tiredness begin to descend on him. He shook his head slightly to rid himself of it, but it only grew stronger as he did so. Kikyou chuckled to herself,

"Dear Li, why resist, you know you can't." she said, almost cooing. Li growled, but felt his shoulders slump. He heard faintly the calls of the others, but those grew faint until they were silenced by the void of fatigue.

Only her voice remained…

"Dear Li, I was wondering something, tell me please; what is the trick to defeating your father?" she cooed, Li's mind screamed that this was nothing to speak of. But he did,

"Me I guess, or my mom." He said, she nodded,

"And your mother?" she asked, Li frowned, he knew this one without a doubt: Anè, his little sister of course, who else? But he couldn't form her name on his tongue. Something still told him to keep his mouth shut. He opened it, and then he fought it.

_No, no, I can't say anything, can't, say a word…no…_

He opened his mouth to say it, though his entire being was trying not to. He was about to fail. Fail at the most important thing he'd ever done, protect his sister. The words began,

"A-" he stopped, Kikyou's scream flew though him, cutting off his ability to speak.

He blinked his eyes, and realized that he had closed them. He looked up and saw that Sara was rolling on the ground, and as a last resort, fighting the older miko.

Kikyou screamed as Sara pulled her hair, and the miko retaliated by scratching the Taji-ya, Sara shrieked and kicked the woman hard in the gut. As the two continued to duke it out, Inuyasha and Miroku just stared,

"I know I shouldn't be watching," Miroku said, "I should just turn away, but, my _god _I didn't know this kind of thing ever happened." Inuyasha was staring just a dumb founded,

"Uh, yeah, women are so, _cruel_ to each other! Damn." He said, shaking his head,

Suddenly Kikyou slapped Sara with such force that she flew away.

Li's roar cut through everything, as his claws slashed through the air and hit the Kikyou who screamed and rolled away from him, her wound bleeding profusely. Li glared at her, but ran to Sara to check on her, the demon slayer was fine; apparently just a few claw marks. However at that same instant, another roar swept through the village.

Nireku was snarling his head off, and he attacked Li, the force of his blow throwing Li through a hut. Inuyasha and the others jumped up to help, however, just then, Nireku ran to Kikyou, and picking her up he disappeared.

Everyone stared at the spot where the demon had just stood, until they heard a sound come from the rubble of the hut. Li stood coughing slightly, but grinning,

"Well, I think I figured out how to push _his _buzzer!" he said, laughing.

Sara sat with Li in his hut, helping him heal his wounds. Kagome and the others had managed to all fit in the little house. Just barely however. Kagome was sitting on the floor, Inuyasha on her left side, Kouga on her right. Beside him were Miroku and Sango, and Anè sat on Kanna who was sitting by Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. Kanna had no idea why, but the child had plopped herself down onto her lap when she'd heard her brother was back.

Li's new sword sat propped up beside him within reach, his eyes were closed but he wasn't in any pain, his head was just leaning on the wall behind him as he listened to the events of the weeks he'd been gone. Nothing had really happened, other than this little incident.

"That's just about it." Said Inuyasha with a shrug, Li made no response at first. He just sat there, a small frown on his face, thinking. And then, just before Kouga burst out yelling, Li's eyes snapped open.

"I think there was only one thing that bothered me about this last fight with Nireku," he said, everyone listened, "Kite. I don't see what made Nireku so mad as to kill off one of his most powerful fighters. Either he's more crazy than we thought, just plain stupid, or there is something else going on here." He said; the frown still on his face. Something about it was obviously bothering him about this.

"So," said Kouga indifferently, "he's a bit more off his rocker than we thought, so what?" Li's frown deepened,

"Well, the fact is, if Nireku was as mad as your suggesting, I'd be able to have beaten him by now. Madness is a serious weakness as much as an asset, if he was mad I could kill him with the abilities my mother gave me. But he's not. He's just evil. There's a difference." Li said,

"So he's stupid?" said Kouga, again indifferently, again, Li shook his head,

"No, he's not a fool other wise Sara and I could have kill him the first time he attacked her out side her village ages ago. If he'd have been a fool, he'd not have been able to escape us." Li said wryly, "No, there's something else going on here. Something that happened to make Nireku want to kill Kite before he should have." Li said more seriously, a troubled look on his face.

"Something," said Sara, "or some_one._" Everyone stared at that statement, every one of them were thinking of the same person; Kikyou. Then looked to Inuyasha.

When he realized everyone was staring at him, glanced around,

"_What!_" he snapped, "Why are ya all lookin at me?" he asked, Miroku chuckled, and slapped him on the shoulder,

"Because you know more about that undead 'priestess' than any of us. So, is there something she could have done?" the monk asked, Inuyasha shrugged,

"When I knew Kikyou, I knew her. I had absolutely _nothing _to do with her magic's though. She was enough for me to handle." He said, Sesshomaru scoffed,

"And you did it _so _well if I recall." He said,

Inuyasha growled and was about to argue, but Li cut in,

"Listen, if Kikyou did something, we'll know soon enough, I have a friend tailing them, he's good at that sort of thing. If something's up, we'll know." Li's voice made room for no argument.

"So kid," Said Kouga, "What exactly in all the seven hells were you doing all this time, you were gone almost three months!" Li sighed, and said,

"If you really want to know, I died." At this the entire hut went still, Li just gave Kouga a grave look and continued, "Totosai's little sword, Kairujon, here was the one he made for me…"

…**_Flash Back…_**

_**(Totosai's voice)**_

"_You Li, you have trained hard these last few weeks, and the sword you will need is prepared. However you should know; this sword will not be happy with a wielder that is of an impure soul, it will test your soul, and your life, your heart, and everything else it can find a flaw in. Be prepared to fight for you life, and all you desire, if you lose, you will die." _

…_**End Flash Back…**_

Li shrugged as he ended his story.

"And it did. It made me relive everything I ever did wrong in my life, by its standards anyway, and made me tell why, for every deed done in cold blood, or for a wrong reason, I was punished by what ever level of a wrong I had committed." His words were ice, as if he was recalling a lost dream, he shivered, "and it killed me many times over, but my soul wouldn't allow me to fail, so, somehow, I mastered the blade. Only Totosai could explain it well enough for everyone to get it. I have started over, now with no regrets as to what I have done before, as well as with no wrong doings left behind; if I can't move on I wouldn't be able to use this sword at all." He said, his eyes smiling once more, "Now everyone, with you alls permission, can I get some sleep?" he asked sarcastically.

Everyone filed out with a good night of some sort. Anè left grinning with Kanna holding her hand and Miroku and Sango left together, soon, Sara was the only one left. The two hadn't even made eye contact until the room was entirely empty.

As soon as it was, Sara pounced on Li. Pinning him to the ground and hugging him hard.

"YOU **_LOSER_** IF YOU **_EVER_** LEAVE ME AGAIN FOR SO LONG, I'LL **_KILL_** YOU WHEN YOU COME BACK; DO YOU HEAR ME??!!!!!!!!!!" she yelled, Li's ears were flat against his head, but he nodded, a small smile on his face,

"I did it though." He whispered, "I did it, we can bond now. It's safe." His voice was soothing, but she just sighed and stood again,

"It was safe before you fool! _You _were the only one who thought it was dangerous!" she yelled, Li sighed and stood as well,

"It was, ever since Nireku has been after me you've seen all the demons that come with him, if I wasn't strong when we bonded…." He trailed off, but she just spun on him, poking him the chest,

"I think you were plenty strong enough back then, you didn't need to go!" she yelled. And finally, Li lost his calm, he exploded,

"What would you have had me do Sara?!" he yelled, "You would have me lose you cause _**I** _wasn't strong enough? NO! I refuse to do that! I lost everything that mattered to me, my dad, my family, I've lost it all in one way or another, I will _not _lose you too!" he shouted, and she'd never heard him do that before, she blinked, and then glared,

"You think so little of my abilities then? Am I not talented enough to protect my self even a little?" she snapped, Li shook his head,

"I didn't say that, I meant something entirely different! I just, I'm, I…." he stopped, shrugging in confusion. Then he wrapped his arms around her, "I _am_ responsible for you Sara, I feel like I am anyway, if you died. What would be left for me?" he asked softly, she smiled, then shrugged,

"I'm never going to leave, but I couldn't tell you anyway." Then she kissed him, and he gladly returned the favor…

Inuyasha and Miroku both hear Sara's rantings as they left the hut. Inuyasha winced and sighed,

_Poor Li, _he thought, and then looked to Miroku. The man had a similar expression of pain and sympathy on his face, and then he glanced at Inuyasha,

"Something wrong Inuyasha?" he asked, Inuyasha hesitated, then nodded,

"Yeah, there is." He muttered, "Can we talk?" he asked, and Miroku gave a bit of a quizzical look, and then left with the hanyou.

Inuyasha and the monk walked through the dark forest, and Inuyasha told his friend of the incident with his mate… or was she?

"Well Inuyasha," said Miroku, pulling Inuyasha from his reverie, "I think that Kagome is probably just as confused about this as you are. Most likely-" he stopped, "Inuyasha do you want my opinion?" he asked,

Miroku had learned long ago that sometimes Inuyasha just told him things to tell them, and other times he would actually need advice. This time it appeared to be the latter,

"Go on." The Hanyou muttered, and Miroku continued,

"I believe that when Kagome went to Kouga just after you left she was looking for some place to feel safe, and Kouga seemed like a good friend to go to. He of course wouldn't have thought of anything like that, and so as time passed, he would have made advances, and tried to convince her that you no longer cared for her. After a while, she probably began to worry about that herself, if she hadn't before, so she decided that she would be with Kouga, feeling that she owed it to him, and that you no longer needed her beside you. What do you think of that?" he finished,

When Miroku looked to Inuyasha he saw the hanyou's face was slightly sad, and yet, smiling, which was rare in of its self, but what he said was even more so.

"Well, I hope she finds her way soon, I don't want this to confuse her so much that she gets sad or anything over it." He said, Miroku nodded calmly, but inside he was as sad as Inuyasha looked, sad for Inuyasha himself,

_he was put through so much even before I knew him, and Kagome healed this, and then she took it away, now what does he have?_

Then Miroku looked up to Inuyasha and said,

"I'm sorry Inuyasha." the hanyou blinked, then smiled,

"Why? I still have Li, and he's what I did all this for in the beginning, he's worth all of this Miroku." He said, and then walked into the darkness.

Miroku looked after him, then sighed and went to his own wife.

Kagome lay next to Kouga, tossing and turning in the night. Her son's words echoing in her head, slowly tears began to fall,

"**_I have started over, now with no regrets as to what I have done before_…"**

Kagome shuddered, and thought, _I only wish I could, I have so many regrets, I have let my son down in so many ways, and I let, Inuyasha down to. I still love him, I think I always did, but what can I do now? _

Suddenly Kouga sat up beside Kagome; he looked down to her,

"Kagome," he whispered, "I only want you to be happy, you know this right?" he whispered, Kagome tried to blink her tears away, but Kouga stopped her, wiping them away for her, she muttered,

"Of course, you love me." She said, he nodded and pulled her to him,

"Yes, but do you love me?" he asked, she nodded, and then he said, "More than Inuyasha?" his words were not pained, as they had every right to be, but instead, oddly tired, as if he'd seen this coming. Kagome sobbed, and tried to say yes, but found her voice gone.

Kouga pulled back and kissed her fore head,

"Kagome, I know the answer, but I know that you do love me, and if I'm second best to that mutt face, well, for Anè's sake, I'll live with that. But you need to be happy, she likes him, like an uncle or something, and she loves Li, he's alright, as friends we could be civil, but me and you Kagome, I'm not going to pretend with you, if you don't love me more than him, go to him, I just want you happy." He said, and then stood and left her alone in the room to ponder her thoughts.

Inuyasha woke that morning, the sun shining through the leaves of the God Tree where he'd spent his night. Not that he'd slept much, he mostly been pondering his thoughts.

_And they are just as confusing now as they were two hours ago. _He thought darkly, and then he sighed and jumped down out of the tree.

Inuyasha slowly walked along the worn path that went through his forest. As he wandered, he felt his mind start to do so as well, flying through all his memories to find when this had all began. Years ago, when he'd first met Kikyou, and then Kagome, how had it all come to this moment?

He had always been cursed it seemed, his father dieing, then his mother, and his relationship with his brother, and Kikyou as well. How Naraku had come after him, and he'd almost lost his friends so many times.

But that was all nothing compared to losing Kagome and Li. He'd thought he had finally found a place to rest his head when he found her. He thought that that was that, his happy ending, his reward for doing all he'd done, resisting temptations of becoming a full demon, sending Kikyou to hell, defeating Naraku. He'd done so much, what fate was is that had decided that none of it had been enough? Who decided that everything and everyone he'd lost up to that point wasn't worth it? That he had to lose more. Lose perhaps, no, defiantly, the most important people in his life? His wife and his at the time unborn son?

He sighed again. This was not the first morning that he'd woken up to these thoughts and the helpless injustice of the world seemingly hanging off his shoulders. No, this had happened before, but he always came to the same conclusion, he was cursed.

"No your not!" came a voice behind him, he turned, it was Li, standing there smiling at him, Inuyasha blinked, he hadn't realized he'd been talking out loud. Li continued, "If you were curse dad, would I have ever met with you again? Let alone forgive you and everything? Nah, if you'd have been cursed, we'd never have seen each other again." He said,

Inuyasha just stared at his son for a moment, then smiled, and nodded,

"You're right I guess, I'm just tired that's all." The hanyou said wearily, and took a look around him. And just about jumped out of his skin. He was standing out side the well. Li was sitting on the edge of it now. Li quirked an eye brow at his fathers sudden nervousness,

"Uh, dad?" he said, Inuyasha shook himself,

"It's just, this is where," he dropped off, unable to continue, Li just nodded,

"Yeah, this is where I go to think. Mom came through there right?" he said, motioning to the well beneath him, Inuyasha nodded mutely, but inwardly he smiled, this boy had so much of his mother in him. Li however stood and looked to be leaving,

"Where you going Li?" Inuyasha called to his son, Li shrugged as he walked away and didn't turn,

"You look like you need this place more than I do right now. See ya!" and then he disappeared into the forest. Inuyasha stared after him for a moment, and then he sat down and leaned against the well.

"That boy is smarter than me!"

Sara's eyes opened to the morning's light. Li was just coming to lay beside her, she however sat up slowly so he just sat there his legs crossed. She smiled at him and got into his lap. He leaned his head on her and they watched the sun come in through the window. Both praying that the day would give them just a little more rest.

"Where were you?" she asked him, he just kissed her head,

"No where mate." He whispered, she sighed and leaned against him,

"We do have to get up now don't we?" she asked, he shrugged,

"Only when they call us." He said, she smiled,

"Yeah, right." She scoffed, he growled and they both laughed softly, both knowing that they would be called for before the light was fully in the sky. Just at that moment there was a knock at the door.

Sara groaned, and she crawled over to get herself covered with the blankets while Li opened the door. It was the wolf man from yesterday Sara recognized him at once. He had been the one who had approached her with being the second in command.

_Which isn't such a grey area any more I guess. _She thought to herself, and almost started giggling madly.

"Yes?" Li asked him, "Tire what's wrong?" Tire nodded a bow and said rather nervously,

"Sorry to disturb you, but we have found the sent of Nireku when he was leaving the village yesterday, we think we know now how he disappears, but we want you to check it out if you will." Li nodded and went to put a shirt on, Tire gave Sara a nod and she gave him a short wave with a wry smile on her face. Li chuckled as he was searching for his shirt, Sara glared,

"How do you do that? Do you have eyes in the back of your head now too?" she asked, Li just chuckled again.

"No, love, we're as good as bonded now, in fact, all it will take is a bit of a spell from my mom, and we will be, so I can already see things like that even without eyes in the back of my head. I could see things like that without eyes." He said, she snorted.

Then he stood and turned to her, gave her a kiss and took his shirt –which she had been using to cover her chest without knowing it- slipped it on ignoring her gasp and he grinned leaving the room with Tire who was looking diligently in the other direction.

Sara glared at the closed door.

"Jerks, the whole lot of men are jerks!" she snapped to herself and then began looking for her own cloths.

AN: OK, well I kinda wanted to do more with this but I'll stop here for now, I'll update as soon as I can, see ya. Oh, and keep reviewing!


	14. Revealing The Past & Promises For The Fu...

AN: Well, here is another chappie, I hope you all are happy with how the votes are, because they have been counted and now by unanimous vote this is officially an Inu/Kag story! OK, so Review and read on!

Disclaimer: yeah, I can't think of any more creative disclaimers so your all stuck with the original, I don't own crap.

**CHAPTER 14**

**RELIVEING THE PAST,**

**PROMISES FOR THE FUTURE**

It was a cold morning, Li ran with his pack through the misty valley that lay just beyond the village. His mind was hardly on what he was doing, which was checking up on Nireku's sent and finding out how he was disappearing. Suddenly the whole pack stopped and Tire, his second in command, came up to him and began to lead him to the place in the valley he had caught the sent. Technically Tire wasn't his second in command, that was Sara, but Tire did handle most things that Li didn't, just running them by either him self or Sara for approval.

Tire led him deep into the valley, so deep that Li had to depend solely on his sense of smell to guide him, his sight lost in the mist. They only walked a little way before Li caught Nireku's sent. He growled softly, then bumped into Tire who had stopped.

"So how do you think he's managing to, ya know, do all this?" Li asked the wolf he couldn't even see, Tire's voice came through the mist,

"We think that he's not even disappearing at all. He's flying. By using a demonic speed that allows him to do so unseen." He said, Li nodded, then frowned,

"But if, if he can do that then why doesn't he do it when we fight?" he asked, Tire answered,

"Because it doesn't work long enough to be useful, and most likely, he can't control it very well." The wolf answered, Li nodded and then said,

"Yeah, I agree, don't track him, I already have someone on that, you just keep it up with the perimeter, I have to do something today, don't bother me unless it's really important; clear?" he said, his voice strong and calm with this command, and then, not waiting for a reply, he left into the mist.

Sara was sitting in the back yard of her parent's place, her mother sat across from her, Kagome with her, as well as many of the women in the village, actually, all of them. She had been given the task, by tradition here, to ask her mother and the High Priestess, to bond with Li. However, this being her mother and her mother's best friend, and so many others it was more or less just girl talk.

"I'm really happy for you Sara." Said Kagome, "Li needs a good girl like you to keep him in line." She continued beaming at the girl, Sara nodded,

"No worries Mrs. Kagome, I'll take care of him." She said, however her grin said this may be at Li's expense. The women laughed, and then Sango looked to Sara again and said,

"Sara, you shouldn't call her Mrs. Kagome, you're just as married as she is, and me, as well as any woman in this village, you call them by their first name now. You're grown up now." She said, and then hugged her daughter, she had a very easy time of this, she'd seen it coming.

"Does anyone else know?" asked Kagome, Sara shook her head,

"No, well, wait, yes, Tire, a wolf in Li's pack. Ya see, he came to get Li this morning and…" Sara told them of her encounter with the wolf, and Li, and how she was going to throw something at him when she saw him next. Again, all the women laughed.

"That's a man for you." Said Kanna wryly, the girl had just popped up from reasonably no where. Everyone jumped, excluding Sara, at her appearance. Sara just grinned at her friend,

"What can you say? I don't recall you coming back to Li's hut last night, where did you spend the night, wait, let me rephrase that," she said slyly, "how's Rey?"

At this the demon girl blushed an insane color of red and glowered at her friend, then sticking her nose in the air and folding her arms across her chest she said,

"Fine, thank you!"

Sara nearly died laughing, as did many others, until they remembered who Kanna was, then they all began to get a tad pale. Sara spoke,

"You're just lucky your father doesn't know yet. Where is Rey anyway?" she asked, Kanna got pale.

"Damn!" said cried, and then ran to find her ill fated lover. They all shook their heads; Sango's face was paler than ever.

"I think," the Taji-ya whispered, "I just lost a son." She said,

Sara giggled then said, "Naw, Kanna wont let Sesshomaru kill him."

Just as the words left her mouth, something knocked down a tree near by, and a roar resounded throughout the village. Everyone looked in that direction, then to Sara again. However, the girl was already running to help her sibling.

Li caught Sara's waist as she ran past him. She struggled and cried,

"Let go Li! My brother-"

"Needs to do this on his own." Li cut in, and smiled, "if he can't stand up to Sesshomaru now, it's not worth loving Kanna. Let him go, he'll be fine, I promise." He said, she sighed,

"Fine, but, if he dies, so do you." She snapped, he shrugged, then pulled her towards his hut. "What was up with Nireku?" she asked, he shrugged,

"He can just move as hyper speed when he wants to, but not long enough to hurt us in battle with it." He replied, she nodded,

"Good." She said simply, then smiled as Li didn't take her to the hut, he kept walking.

"So, did you get them to agree to do it?" he asked, as casually as he could manage. She nodded,

"Of course, did you think they'd not?" she asked wryly, he shrugged,

"No, but I was wondering." He stopped, and they walked in comfortable silence for a time, until Li suddenly picked Sara up bridle style and ran off. She giggled and laid her head against his chest, not knowing or caring where they were headed.

Li stopped in front of the God Tree, and jumped into its branches, and then finding one that was strong enough, he sat Sara on his lap and leaned against the tree. The two just relaxed there, lapsing into an unusual state of peace in each others presence.

After a time, Li opened his eyes and looked down at Sara,

"Hey Sara?" he asked,

"Yeah?" she mumbled,

"What will you do after this is all over?" he asked, she looked up to him,

"That depends," she said, "What will you do?" he raised his eye brows,

"I guess- I don't know." he said, frowning, Sara smiled,

"I will be where ever you'll be. No matter where that manages to take me Li." She whispered to him, he smiled softly at her,

"Yeah, but are you so sure? I don't think I'm going to stay here Sara, I will probably go out into the lands and see what waits out there, maybe find some place that says home to me, ya know?" he said, his eyes thoughtful, Sara nuzzled him,

"That sounds good to me, but where ever we decide to stay, it's gotta be warm there. Yeah, open fields, sun always shining, trees of course, but some place with space to run." She said. He nodded,

"Yeah, it's gotta be someplace to run, that way we can raise some pups there." he said as casually as ever, she grinned,

"Oh? You do want some then?" she asked, he nodded

"Of course I do." he said, she grinned, laying her head back on his chest,

"Yeah, how many?" she asked as she closed her eyes again, he shrugged,

"We'll just start having some, and when we get tired of having em we'll stop." He said, Sara laughed and he smiled…

Inuyasha sat at the old well, his mind wandering into his past. To a time that seemed so long ago. He thought back to the time when he had left Li and was watching from a far as the boy grew up. That time seemed to haunt him, but it was something to remember, how much he'd loved that boy from the moment he'd held him in his arms. The pain and regret at having to ever let him go. He remembered his first steps; he'd been there, as always watching from afar. Smiling and mentally cheering as his son stood on his own to go after a ball. Kagome and Kouga hadn't been there, they'd not seen it. It was something only he'd witnessed. And he'd loved every moment of it.

Slowly Inuyasha's smile slipped as his thoughts turned, now on Kagome, the woman who had changed his entire life twice. Once on coming here, and another when she'd left. How he'd met her, and how it had all began…

_We were strangers _

_Starting out on a journey  
Never dreaming_

_What we'd have to go through_  
_Now here we are  
And I'm suddenly standing  
At the beginning with you_

**_Inuyasha looked down from his position on the God Tree. His eyes adjusted to the dim light, the sun was going down. Then he heard breathing, and he looked up. A girl, Kikyou was running towards him. Wearing really weird clothes. She had no weapon, she was scared, she reeked of fear. Something was chasing her. _**

_**Anger boiled up inside him. And that came out as he shouted,**_

"_**What are you doing Kikyou? Why ya running? Just do it like ya did me!"**_

_**She looked up at him, **_

"**_I'm not Kikyou! What are you-" just then the demon attacked her, it was a weird looking thing, she flew in the air and fell beside his tree. He frowned, _**

"_**What are you doing Kikyou? You gone soft or something? Kill it!" she glared up at him, **_

"_**Listen, Kikyou, Kikyou, who ever she is she's not me cause my name is Kagome got it? Ka-Go-Me!" she yelled, he blinked, **_

_**No, she wasn't Kikyou, she didn't smell like Kikyou had, and she, she was way more beautiful than Kikyou had ever been. **_

"_**Your right, Kikyou was cuter, much cuter…"**_

Inuyasha smiled at this memory, and slowly began to fall into many more…

_No one told me  
I was going to find you  
Unexpected  
What you did to my heart  
When I lost hope  
You were there to remind me  
This is the start  
_

**_Kagome sat on the bank beside the river, while he tried to wash his hands of the smell of human blood that tainted them. He growled to himself, he'd lost control, he could have hurt her. He could have killed her! How had he lost control? Snarling, he walked over to the bank and sat a few feet from her. _**

_**She held out a rag for him to wash off with, **_

"**_Keep it." He snarled, she just sat there, her eyes on the ground, not saying anything he growled again, "You don't have to force yourself to stay by me." She looked over at him, her eyes practically welling up with tears, at this he snarled, "Listen, I'm so tired of all of you pussy footing around me! Cause I don't have a problem with it, I don't give a damn what I did!" he yelled, _**

"**_Don't kid yourself." She said, he blinked, then looked away, ashamed. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, she leaned against him, her head on his back, _**

"**_Oh Inuyasha, I know how you feel." _**

_Life is a road  
_

_And I want to keep going  
_

_Love is a river  
_

_I wanna keep flowing  
_

_Live is a road  
_

_Now and forever  
_

_Wonderful journey  
_

_I'll be there  
_

_When the world stops turning  
_

_I'll be there  
_

_When the storm is through  
_

_In the end I wanna be standing  
_

_At the beginning with you_

Inuyasha smiled as he thought about all of these things. The woman that he would one day marry, have a child with, but now. What now? She loved Kouga, for now he had Li to talk to and to keep him from missing her totally, like he had all the years before, but after Nireku? Li would probably go his own way. And then what? Inuyasha would be on his own again, left to rot most likely until death took him. And that was going to be ages. Maybe there was something left for him, but nothing that he could think of…

Just then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, it was Kagome, smiling at him with that little soft smile that she had.

_We were strangers  
_

_On a crazy adventure  
_

_Never dreaming  
_

_How our dreams would come true  
_

_Now here we stand  
_

_Unafraid of the future  
_

_At the beginning with you  
_

He just stared at her for a moment, his mind not comprehending her appearance. Slowly Kagome bent down to him, and began to kiss him deeply.

It took Inuyasha a moment to register this too, but when he did, it was with passion harbored for 16 years.

_Life is a road_

And I want to keep going

Love is a river

I wanna keep flowing

Live is a road

Now and forever

Wonderful journey

I'll be there

When the world stops turning  


_I'll be there  
_

_When the storm is through  
_

_In the end I wanna be standing  
_

_At the beginning with you_

_I knew there was somebody somewhere  
_

_Like me alone in the dark  
_

_Now I know my dream will live on  
_

_I've been waiting so long  
_

_Nothing's gonna tear us apart.._

Inuyasha pulled back from Kagome,

"Kagome, what?" he muttered, she put a finger to his lips stopping him,

"I told you once Inuyasha, that I would love you until the day I died, did you think I was lying? I love you more than anyone else in the world, no matter what happened 16 years ago, I don't care. I love you now. Do you still love me?" she said, he smiled, then pulled her into a hug and put his nose in her neck,

"Fool, I never stopped loving you, mate." He growled possessively, talking again like the Inuyasha Kagome remembered so well.

The two just sat there after that, smiling and grinning to each other, loving everything around them, and then they began to reminisce about the times that they'd been separated. And even as the day continued, they were like they had been so many years ago, untouched by time…_  
_

Kouga looked at his daughter who sat beside him. A wolf in her lap, and a smile on her face. That was the part that was bothering him.

Kouga had just told Anè of her mother's decision to stay with Inuyasha, and Kouga was more than a little surprised to see her just smiling and nodding with the pup on her lap.

"Uh, Anè, are you ok with this?" he asked softly, she grinned at him and nodded vigorously,

"Yeah papa, think about it, this way I can still be part of Li's family and Inuyasha can be a part of mine! It's perfect! Don't you think so? I mean, mamma's happy, and you said that that is what makes you happy, so why aren't you happy?"

Kouga shook his head trying to make sense of that sentence, however, when he finally did, he just shrugged,

"I love your mother, that's all that matters. Don't worry Anè, I'm plenty happy." He said, the girl nodded, and then looked out toward the distant skies, her brown eyes glowing with the sun, and then she said quietly,

"Daddy, I was wondering, when are we going home?" Kouga shrugged,

"When it's safe to, why?" he replied calmly, she smiled,

"Because I like it here, I mean, not as much as home, but I just wanted to know how long I've got here. Li's around again, mama's happy here, and I get to play with a ton of other kids, I love this place daddy." She said, he smiled at her softly,

"Anè, when all of this is over, Li probably won't stay here, I don't know what your mother will do, the only other person here will be the kids for sure, it won't be like this." He said, she sighed,

"I know, but, I feel like this place is a good place, a safe spot, a special place." She said,

"Why?" he asked,

"Because when we came here, mom was happy again, Li met his daddy, and I got to see him again, and he met that slayer girl Sara and now he's happy, and he got his own pack, and I got to see all of it, I mean, so many things happening in a single spot, that must count for something, don't you think daddy?" she said, Kouga smiled at his daughter,

"Yeah pup, I do." he whispered, and then the two watched as the sun set…

Rey stood against a tree outside the village panting, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Only one eye open, but it was darting every which way. Silently he was thanking every god he could think of that he knew this village so well. Had he been anywhere else, Rey surly wouldn't have been able to avoid getting caught and killed by his new father-in-law. He shivered,

_Damn, even for a demon that bastard is fast! I am so screwed; I have just sealed my fate as a man who died from loving women too much. I think I have officially topped my father on the lecherous scale of stupidity. Falling in love with a Taiyoukai's daughter, yeah BRILLIANT!_

Just then Rey heard a twig snap behind him. He didn't even turn,

"Kanna?" he asked, a hand was on his shoulder and a kiss on his neck. He smiled,

"Yeah love, hiding are you?" she cooed, he rolled his eyes,

"Wouldn't you?" he snapped, though not unkindly, she shrugged,

"No, he wouldn't kill me." Then she was silent before saying, "I don't think he'll kill you yet, just maim you maybe, he doesn't kill the men I love, he promised he wouldn't, he just make it impossible for them to have children."

Rey's eyes snapped open. And he spun backing away,

"Are you serious?" he said, she nodded wryly,

"Sorry." She replied sheepishly, "I should have told you who I was, that was stupid of me." She said,

"Yeah you should have." Rey snapped, then sighed, and wrapped his arms around her, "Ignore me, I probably wouldn't have done anything differently had you told me anyway, and you aren't stupid. Just, you're an untouchable, and I touched, I'm screwed, that's just my life, this isn't the first time this has happened."

Kanna laughed,

"I believe that!" she said grinning, then looked up at him, kissing him, then lying against his chest; he smiled, and hugged her. "Hey Rey, how'd you get away with it the other times?" she asked, he shrugged,

"I just never went back to those villages." He said, "I really didn't love those girls so I didn't care, you're different though, no easy solutions here."

She laughed at this and the sighed,

"We could always ask Li for help." She said, Rey nodded,

"Yeah, that sounds good, surly he can do something. Of all people." He said, and then the two laughed together as they watched the setting sun…

Li and Sara walked back into the village, only to see many huts overturned and people rebuilding, Li's eyebrows raised,

"Uh, do I want to know?" he asked to no one in particular, someone dragging a top to a hut said,

"Rey's attempt at escaping Lord Sesshomaru I'm afraid." Li nodded,

"Ok, well, here, let me help out, Sara, take that and, we'll have this up in no time." Sara nodded and the two got the top onto the hut with little strain.

Li went over to another hut, his own, and growled to himself about Rey and Sesshomaru and how stupid they were. As he began to pull the collapsed roof away, he found a sudden help with the wait, it was Kouga.

The two rivals looked at each other for a long moment, then nodded to one another, and began to rebuild the hut.

They were working on the walls when another pair of hands joined them, Inuyasha. Again, there was the stare of two rivals, but again, there was a compromise. And as the three worked to rebuild the hut, something much more important was being repaired…

They had just finished Li's hut, the sun would soon finish falling, it was then that the last drama of the day unfolded, Rey and Kanna crept out from the village, both looking for Sesshomaru and not seeing him.

Li called them over, partly to talk, and partly to be within jumping range to protect them from his uncle's wrath.

When they got over he grinned and was about to ask how their day had been before Sesshomaru materialized behind them. Li's mouth was half open before his eye-brows rose alerting the couple of their danger.

Rey spun, Kanna jumped behind him, and Li growled softly making Sesshomaru glance in his direction. Just at that moment however, something happened that totally distracted Sesshomaru from the couple in front of him.

Kohaku called to Sango from where he stood in the middle of the village. Sesshomaru turned, and saw the one thing in the world that could have made him turn that weird white color.

Kohaku stood there, his arm around Rin's waist. Her very, very, _pregnant, _waist. At that instant Sesshomaru went from white, to a very deep shade of red, then purple. Then his eyes turned red.

He rushed Kohaku, death in his eyes.

But Kohaku, having had Sesshomaru as his Father In Law for a time, was an expert, and was already prepared. He ducked away from Rin, dodging Sesshomaru's attacks, never pulling out a weapon, he just kept dodging until suddenly he twisted on his hand and flipped away, and began talking as he resumed dodging and avoiding,

"Sesshomaru-listen-to-me! Will you, give me, TWO SECONDS!" he yelled in between the demons grabs for him. Then Rin's voice cut through everything as she screamed,

"DADDY STOP!" Kanna had run over to her and been trying to talk to her but Rin hadn't been able to hear because of the two men's fighting. Now she turned to Kanna, "You were saying dear?" she said, Kanna explained in a whisper, and then Rin was grinning,

"Ok, yeah, that's nice." Said Kohaku ruefully, "You stopped him so you can chit-chat, I guess I matter a ton to you don't I woman?" he snapped, Rin rolled her eyes at her husband,

"If you didn't matter I'd not have stopped him, I'd have left with Kanna somewhere quiet. Now, Daddy, can you please let Kohaku explain why we haven't told you sooner? We've been so worried you'd not approve. It took us ages just to get here, please listen?" Rin said, Sesshomaru grumbled but accented. Kohaku sighed and began to talk to the demon.

"Ello everyone!" Someone called from the village wall, it was nearly night; however; this personage was ignoring that fact. Shippo lazily strutted his way into the village, about a thousand village girls running up to him as he did so. Only to be attack by a demoness by his side.

"Shippo!" called Inuyasha smiling, "I was wondering when you'd show up again, it's been nearly four months. What were you doing?" he asked the Kitsune, Shippo grinned,

"Well first if you'll recall, I was spying on Li and keeping track of him for you." He replied, Inuyasha glared,

"Yeah, that lasted long. You quite on me!" The hanyou snapped, Shippo shrugged, and put up his hands defensively,

"Hey, hey, I'm getting to that, _anyway_, after a while, I'll admit I got a little distracted," he gestured to the girl beside him, "and so I may have kinda wandered off for a time, way, way, _way _off." He sighed, as if the thought of doing so was weighing greatly on his conscience, however, Inuyasha doubted this highly. "However, after a time I regain enough self control-"

"Over your self or from _her_?" Rey cut in, Shippo went in as if he didn't notice,

"To find my way back here, however, I met up with Li along the way, he was heading to Totosai, and since I had been supposed to watch him, I figured I owed him one, and he told me to spy on Nireku, and I did." He finished, then shrugged.

Inuyasha sighed,

"Well if you're lookin for Li, he's not here. He's rather busy now…"

Li stood there beside Sara, the bonding ceremony finishing as the night fell upon them. He smiled at his lover, wife, and finally bonded.

"I love you Sara." He whispered, she nodded,

"You have no idea how much I love you." She replied, and then kissed him. _  
_

_They had no idea, this was only the beginning…_


	15. A Time Of Changes

AN: Ok, there are gonna be some big happenings in the chappie! Prepare, sorry it took so long to get this baby up but I had some writers block.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it!

Chapter 15

A Time Of Changes 

Time seemed to move so fast all of a sudden. The morning came with agonizing speed. Pain came with it. The sent of destruction filled the air. Li wasn't going to like this day. He knew it from the moment he woke. All the way to Shippo's hut where the Kitsune was staying. All through their meeting about what he'd heard during his spying on Nireku. All through his time spent preparing his wolves for the next attack. In fact, it wasn't until Sara came strolling up to him -smiling in her little way -that made the world suddenly fair- that the feeling of dread and death lifted a little.

"You look stressed mate." She said kissing him softly, he sighed,

"Don't I always?" he asked wryly, she giggled, but then gave him a hard look.

"No, not this bad, what's the bad news?" she asked evenly, he shrugged,

"Nireku will be back, but I don't know when. He will have some new abilities, but I don't know what they will be, he is going to use Kikyou against me again, but I don't know how, and that evil wench I planning something but I don't have a single clue what, _that's_ the bad news!" he said frustration in his entire stance.

Sara looked her lover up and down, then sighing heavily she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards a different part of the village.

"I love you mate," she said, "but there is one more thing that I think I can burden you with. Just one though, don't stress it's not that bad. In fact you'll like it I think." She said seeing his very strained expression.

"Damn." He muttered under his breath. Then sighed and allowed him self to be led away.

Rey sat with Kanna, the two waiting for Sara to bring Li, they all knew that there if their large scheme was going to work they were going to have to be careful not to let the "Adults" know. A.k.a; Sesshomaru, Sango, Miroku, Kagome, Inuyasha, and Kouga.

Suddenly the two heard something to the left of them and they tensed, until Shippo walked in, the girl who he'd brought with him clinging to his arm. Shippo gave a wry smile, then looked around,

"I thought Li'd be here already. Where is he?" the Kitsune asked, Rey shrugged, but it was Kanna who answered,

"We asked Sara to get him a minute ago." She said gravely, her face was pale, and her eyes held a shimmer of hope that was slowly dieing.

Kanna was connected –being the daughter of a Taiyoukai- to the land of her people. She knew without Shippo saying so that Nireku was harming her home while she and her father were away. However, if they left the village she knew that there would be an attack, and without their help, maybe the entire village could fall. She shivered.

She knew what she had to do.

The only question remaining was if Li would agree to help her.

As soon as Li entered the clearing he felt the wrongness of it. Fear, pain, and at the same time, an inner knowing that this was the way that it had to be. He shivered, this was the most scary feeling he'd ever felt. Kanna smiled at him from where she sat,

"Li, I am glad you came. There is something that I need to do, and if your not here to help, I'm not sure that I can." She shuddered and continued, "Please everyone, sit down, I'll explain everything."

Her friends complied while Kanna herself tried to calm her inner self enough to do what she knew she must.

_Gods above, and below, please, please, give me the strength. This isn't something I ever thought I was going to have to do. Please guide me._

"My people are dieing in the West. Somehow Nireku is killing them with dark armies that just won't seem to dissipate no matter how many our generals kill. The only way to defeat them is for me to become a True Taiyoukai." Kanna said, she heard Sara gasp, and she saw Li frown,

"What does that mean?" he asked quietly. Kanna took a deep breath and answered,

"A True Youkai is a youkai that gives herself to the Higher Spirit, if I do that my powers will be increased and I will become a the most powerful being that I can ever manage." She said,

Li frowned again, "But?"

"But, if the Higher Power won't accept me, I will die." Immediately Li snarled,

"Damn." Then he shook his head, "Do you want to do this? Are you sure?" Kanna nodded,

"Yes. I'm positive." Her voice was strong and held more courage than Li would have ever given to her, he nodded.

"OK." His voice seemed to carry finality in it, "I'll help; what do you want me to do?" Kanna smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck nuzzling him,

"Thanks, cousin." He smiled and hugged her back,

"Anytime."

The sun was high above them in the sky. Kagome wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. She sat in the fields picking the last row of vegetables from them. Just then, a cool wind blew, reminding her that winter was about on them.

"I wonder if it will snow soon?" she asked to no one in particular, Anè, who sat beside her answered,

"I hope so. I love it when it snows, especially when it gets so deep you can hardly walk!" she cried jubilantly, Kagome laughed,

"Oh is that what you like?" she teased, and tickled her daughter, who squealed with glee. As she was continuing to play around with the child, Kagome felt a familiar presence, and she smiled, Inuyasha. However, she was surprised when Anè said,

"Hey, Inuyasha is here!" Kagome stared at the child while Inuyasha dropped down from his perch on a tree. He smiled at them,

"Good call kid, you'll be just like your mom soon and I won't be able to track either of ya." He said good naturedly.

Kagome smiled at him, Inuyasha was so used to not being welcome in her presence and in her life that he often would just sit and watch her. That she knew would fade with time.

Just then Kagome felt another presence, she frowned, it wasn't one she knew well, but she did know it. At the same time, she felt a wave of power crash on her. She twitched and glanced to the forests, however, just then a voice carried to her.

"Kagome. I need to speak with you." She frowned, a person stood in front of her, he, it was a he. He was tall, and held a new and intriguing light in his eyes, however, he was just as old as time in the same way.

"Who are you?" she whispered, the man smiled,

"My name is Kyto."

Li stood from where he'd been helping his cousin start her transformation. He sighed and wiped the sweat from his face,

_I hope this all works Kanna; you'd better not die on me!_ He thought to himself, then he glanced over at the other end of the clearing, Rey sat there asleep and exhausted, Sara was smiling at her brother with his head on her lap.

"He'll be up in a few minutes right?" Li asked; he was beginning to have that itching feeling between his shoulder blades, trouble. Big trouble. Sara nodded,

"He's been out for a few hours, a few more minutes and he'll be as good as new." She said smiling fondly at him, Li nodded curtly,

"Good." Sara frowned at his tone.

"Li?" she asked worriedly, but she never finished, suddenly Shippo burst into the clearing,

"Guys, there is a _really _evil presence heading this way, Amelia is freakin out!" he yelled, Li frowned,

"Who is Amelia?" he asked, Shippo sighed,

"The girl I brought with me duh Li, didn't you hear me? We've gotta _go_, like now!" he yelled, Li sighed,

"We can't stop him he'll come here, we just better be-" Li was cut off when there was a scream sounded from the village. Li looked to Sara who had stood up, she saw that look, a look so filled with pain and regret, like something terrible was about to happen. She stared at Li,

"Li?" she whispered, he smiled that battle grin that she knew so well,

"Come on mate? Another go at the bastard will do you some good I think." He said, she nodded,

"Right!"

Kagome just stared at the man, her mouth open,

_No, i, it can't be him! No possible way! _

She never was able to say a word though, suddenly she felt an evil presence so strong that it knocked her off her feet and threw her to the wall. She stared, Nireku's miasma flooded the entire village; killing three villagers right off.

Screaming in fear Kagome grabbed Anè and ran away, not daring to look back.

Inuyasha covered her back, he glance over to his right as he saw Sesshomaru and Kouga enter the front of the village, Sango and Miroku right on their heels. Of the kids there was no sign.

Inuyasha pulled out Tetsaiga,

"Come on Nireku, lets' go!" he yelled. Then two figures flanked Nireku on both sides. Kikyou and Suki stood as tall as statues, at their masters' side. Inuyasha tensed, and saw Kikyou holding something in her hands. Then Nireku spoke.

"I have a little surprise for _you _Inuyasha. One I think you will find most, enlightening." He said coldly, suddenly a flash came from Kikyou, Inuyasha roared as images flooded his mind, temporarily distracting him, pulling him to his knees.

**He left Kagome, knowing she was pregnant, left her all alone. **

**He killed so many with his demon side**

**When he was human, he couldn't even protect Kagome, nor his son. **

**He was half demon not worth the ground he walked on. **

**All of this was his own fault. **

**His fault, all his fault. All his fault. **

"NO!" came a yell from a place very far away. Inuyasha opened his eyes as the images faded as quickly as they'd come. Li stood near Nireku, already locked in combat with him, Kikyou sat nursing her wounded arm near them, hissing and cursing his son. He growled, and was about to go and finish her off, but was stopped when Kikyou jumped up and dodged Sara's attack.

"Die you evil conniving, dark, stupid, lame excuse for a priestess!" the Taji-ya screamed, and rushed the older woman again. Inuyasha watched in surprise. Then he saw them, from behind Nireku, he saw them, hundreds of demons heading straight for them.

He called a quick warning to those behind him then turned to face the on-slot.

_Please, just let Kagome be alright. _He thought.

Li jumped away from Nireku's attack, and slashed sideways with his sword, he missed. Nireku slashed downwards and knocked Li back. Li twisted in mid-air and landed on his feet and began to attack again. Suddenly Nireku jumped back and summoned something into his hand. A sword. This one was made purely from dark demonic energy, but it was a sword none the less. Li moved back as Nireku cackled,

"You'll die by this sword Li, if it's the last thing I ever do!" the demon called, Li watched the sword warily, Nireku smiled evilly, "Do you like it? Kikyou taught me the spell herself, nice isn't it? Do you want to see what it does?" and without waiting for an answer, Nireku pointed the sword at Sesshomaru, and a blast came out of it. A dark black blast.

Li didn't even have time to call out a warning, not that it would have done much good. The blast hit the Taiyoukai straight on. Li watched with horrified eyes as his uncle was blasted back and didn't rise. Li's eyes flashed an odd red color.

"Damn you." He snarled, Nireku laughed,

"I bet you'd love to. But now, let's fight, shall we?" he drawled, Li growled and rushed his opponent.

Inuyasha was barely aware of anything beyond himself, but he felt his brother go down, if he was actually dead, Inuyasha had no idea, but he knew that this was the end of this fight for Sesshomaru.

Glaring, he attacked his enemies with a new vigor.

Kagome ran with Anè in her arms, suddenly she saw someone beside her; Rin, and Kohaku. She looked to them. Rin was holding her stomach and running as best she could manage, Kohaku was protecting her and they were all going in the same direction.

"Where exactly are all of you going per-say?" asked Kyto, Kagome jumped, the man was keeping an easy pace beside them. He glanced at Kohaku and Rin, then back to Kagome,

"We're running, I don't know where!" Kagome cried, Kyto nodded,

"Ah, in that case, follow me, I've got a spot. A safe spot to boot." He said,

The group followed as Kyto changed direction and headed over to a near-by hut. He shut the door quickly behind them and smiled,

"Well so far everything is going well enough. I only hope the Little One will know when to ask for help." He said almost happily. Kagome stared at him,

"Kyto? I, is that really you? The real you?" she asked, Kyto grinned and shrugged, then walked over to the window,

"You all rest now. You'll need it I think."

Of all the things Sara was doing at that moment, she wasn't resting. Kikyou shot arrows faster than Sara could move; therefore she had to block tons of them with her staff. Which, thankfully she could do very fast. All those years of training for demon slaying were paying off.

Then Kikyou began to glow.

From all of Sara's personal experiences in fighting demons, she had come to find that whenever they started glowing, Dark priestess or otherwise, that was _not_ a good sign. Tensing up she hefted her staff in a defensive position to hopefully stop what ever it was Kikyou was planning on doing.

No such luck.

The blast that came out of that woman was pure evil energy; there wasn't a weapon on Earth that could stop all of it. So she tensed and hoped that she'd not get the worst of it. She didn't. Miroku stepped in and protected his daughter, fighting off the blast until it over took him and threw him away.

Sara screamed in pain as she saw her father go down, unsure if he was alive or not, and Kikyou shrieked in anger, apparently that blast had been a one time thing, and meant to kill Sara once and for all.

The demon huntress spun on Kikyou and tackled the woman, like before she lost all sense of herself and normal combat, the only thing her mind registered was the screams that Kikyou produced when she hit a good spot. But Kikyou was no push over, and for being the corpse of a corpse, she was pretty strong. But that only fueled Sara's determination. Her mother was not far off, attacking demons with all her might. Her eldest siblings were also battling near by. But none of it registered to Sara, Kikyou was all that registered, and that didn't seem to be ready to change very soon. The Dark Miko was still fighting Sara, and as long as she did, Sara wouldn't stop.

_This time, _she thought, _one of us will die, make no mistake Kikyou, this time, it ends. _

Shippo dodged an attack by a demon and sliced it in half. Amelia stood not too far away, fighting some others, they were easy to kill, but there were so many! Their numbers were easily in the hundreds, even a thousand. Not to mention they didn't seem to stop coming, no matter how many Shippo killed, at least three more came to fight him.

Honestly for the Kitsune, it was no big deal. He loved to fight, on a normal basis that is, but all this killing was starting to get on his nerves. For the third time he glanced to Li and Nireku who were locked in a desperate combat. Neither seeming to tire, meaning that this battle was in a similar state. He growled and glanced over to look at Amelia again.

Just in time to see a demon's fang pierce her throat.

With a roar of rage, Shippo ran forward to catch her before she fell.

"No damn you Amelia you can't die! We have, you, you can't!" he couldn't go on, she smiled weakly,

"Shippo. What, are you worried about? You'll, you'll do, f, fine. You were a w, wonderful mate, an, and you'll be a g, great fa, father to our kits. P, promise me you'll, you'll not abandon them?" she muttered, but put a loving hand on his face. Shippo leaned into her hand, putting his own over hers,

"Course mate, what ever you say. Just don't go. Please I'm begging you don't go and leave me all alone again." He pleaded, she smiled,

"You'll, n, never, b, be a, alone. I will, al, always, l, love, y, y, you…Shippo." And then her eyes faded, and closed for a final time.

A piece of Shippo's heart died with her.

Slowly he stood, and slowly he turned to the surrounding demons. Power filled him like none he'd ever known. No longer was his battle grin in place, now his eyes were void of all emotion. His face as cold as the fire in his hands was hot.

"You killed her." He said coldly to all the surrounding demons, "You killed her, and now, you'll pay." He whispered, and then he exploded.

Suki watched and took cover as the Kitsune blasted his way through the demons surrounding him. She sighed,

_Just a little longer, just a little longer. Then the time will be right. Then, and only then…_ she thought, and then disappeared back into the shadows.

Rey looked down at his beloved who lay on her back in the grass. He glanced around. No demons near him, but he could feel the overwhelming number that was only a few hundred yards a head of him.

He felt no urge to rush and help the others. His place was here.

Suddenly she stirred, and then fell still. Rey frowned.

_Damn you Kanna, if you die…_

Kikyou and Sara were rolling on the ground, kicking screaming, and somehow, they got Nireku's attention. He glanced over at them in time to see Sara get the better of Kikyou, and then, sitting on top of the woman, she began to beat her severely and with much vigor.

Snarling, Nireku shot a blast at Sara, and the girl was thrown away, feet upon feet away. There was a dangerous snapping sound from her when she hit a hut, destroying it with her impact. She didn't move. She didn't breath.

Li saw red. In fact, that was all he saw. Red, and Sara's body. Red, blood, Sara's blood.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he yelled as loud as his lungs would allow.

Pain and memories pulled at him, pain flooded every part of his being, pain, pain, pain. Memories…

_**Nireku attacked Sara with his sword, Li took the sword in the stomach, **_

"_**Stupid." Li whispered to Nireku. And then he was glowing, a pink energy came from him in pulses, and suddenly a burst of pure energy flew from him and hit Nireku. Nireku let out a yell as he was blasted away, landing far away from Li. **_

"_**Hey, are you alright?" Li asked her, she nodded wordlessly. He smiled, "Good, here, I'll help you up." she nodded, and he pulled her up. **_

_**Li's eyes widened and he grabbed Sara, pushing her up against a tree and putting him self in between her and the blasts of dark power. He heard her cry out, but just barely over the roar that he let out as he turned on Nireku. **_

_**How dare he? She's just a girl! Without another thought he slashed into Nireku with his claws, **_

"**_IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!" he yelled, not knowing where it came from. Nireku stumbled back, and then disappeared_**.

"_**Oh gods Li, you're hurt, come here, take off your shirt, and let me see it." Li didn't respond, just looked down at her for a moment, **_

"_**Are you alright?" he asked, Sara blushed, **_

"**_Well DUH! I am fine, you're the one who got his ass kicked, not me! God! What were you thinking?" she snapped at him, he shrugged, _**

"_**I wasn't thinking. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." He said, Sara looked up to him, and then shook her head, **_

"**_You're an idiot." She said, and then threw her arms around his neck. Li's eyes widened, and then he sighed and put his arms around her…_**

_**Gods Sara, if you'd have gotten hurt, I don't know what I would have done…**_

"_**Li, you are too perfect you know?" he blinked in surprise, then just shrugged, **_

"_**I try!" he said laughing, Sara laughed too, and then gasped in surprise as Li pulled her into a kiss.**_

****

_**Sara pounced on Li. Pinning him to the ground and hugging him hard. **_

"**_YOU LOSER IF YOU EVER LEAVE ME AGAIN FOR SO LONG, I'LL KILL YOU WHEN YOU COME BACK; DO YOU HEAR ME!" she yelled, Li's ears were flat against his head, but he nodded, a small smile on his face,_**

****

_**Li stood there beside Sara, the bonding ceremony finishing as the night fell upon them. He smiled at his lover, wife, and finally bonded. **_

"_**I love you Sara." He whispered, she nodded,**_

"_**You have no idea how much I love you." She replied, and then kissed him. **_

****

Death, pain, so much pain. Li ran to Sara, trying to wake her limp body. Nothing, nothing. She was gone.

His eyes went red.

"Nireku, YOU did this, YOU BASTARD!" he yelled, then something happened, Li felt Nireku's sword go straight through his stomach.

"Well, little pup, aren't you the foolish one, she's dead, and now, so are you. And now I can have what I've always wanted." He said coldly, Li glared up at him,

"What would that be?" he asked, already feeling his body weaken.

"The shikon Jewel that resides in your body of course." Came Kikyou's voice behind Nireku. She smiled at him, "Do you think I could get my body to answer my soul yet again for nothing in particular? That is the only thing, the only thought that could bring me to this body again, that and the thought of seeing your father's head on a spit, but that to will come in good time." She said smiling, "At first that's all I wanted, just to see him dead. But then I saw him with your mother, and I realized that it wasn't enough just to see him dead, I needed him to _want _to be dead. So, I stirred up some trouble in the West that he would have to take care of, in just the way he did. Everything from the on was a work of perfect planning and meticulous positioning." Li's eyes were getting wider,

"That's why you killed Kite isn't it? Somehow, he realized everything was your doing! You only had to wait for the right moment so it wouldn't be suspicious! Dammit it was _you _all along!" he yelled, Kikyou nodded,

"Of course, without Nireku's brute strength none of it would have worked, but that was basically all he did." She said, Nireku didn't deny it; Li was getting sicker by the moment.

"And now pup, it's over." Said Nireku and he was just about to cut Li down with his sword when suddenly, he was thrown away, as was Kikyou.

Li blacked out, blood loss taking him…

Kanna stood on air, Rey beside her, boomerang in hand. He glanced at his sister, pain crossed his features, and then he looked to Kanna.

"May I have the pleasure of killing Kikyou?" he asked softly, Kanna gave him the barest of nods, her attention focused on Nireku.

Kanna felt how low Li's life force was. Even if she ended this quickly, it was unlikely he would survive. She noticed Shippo standing near by fighting demons as though he had nothing to lose. She saw her father lying unconscious on the ground, perhaps never again to rise, Sango holding his head while their children fought demons. She noticed Inuyasha, barely able to stand with the way his stamina was fading. She saw all the pain Nireku had caused, then she looked to the man himself. And she growled,

"You have killed everything I loved. Now you too shall feel the barest of parts of what I feel as I stand here. Nireku." She snarled, Nireku watched her warily. Then the two began to do battle.

Suki watched as demons swirled around her, she watched as her old nemesis Kanna fought Nireku. She smiled, now she knew what she was going to do.

"You will die for killing Kite Nireku; it was not wise to make an enemy out of me." She said coldly. Then she let everything out. In a single moment, ever demon on the field disappeared under her. Every demon within a hundred yards at least. Then her power gone she fell to the ground.

A demon was suddenly over her, claws poised to strike. Suki sighed, ready to accept the death that was immanent now.

A flash of blue stopped destroyed the demon.

Opening her eyes, Suki looked up at her rescuer. The kitsune that had been spying on them. Suki had known, but she hadn't told.

He looked down on her,

"Come on. Get up." He said gruffly, Suki stood, watching him,

"Why?" she asked, he shrugged,

"I've already lost one woman today; I'm in no mood to watch another die while I can prevent it. Besides, any enemy of Nireku is an enemy of mine. Now, come on, let's destroy the rest of these demons." He said and then he took her and they began.

Began more than they knew at that moment.

Kanna was losing. Nireku was just too powerful. But she knew she was going to lose; there was no way she could have won. Only Li could have beat Nireku. And now they were all doomed. Doomed and Nireku knew it. He knew it and was using it to fight, using it to destroy Kanna more than physically, but spiritually as well.

Rey spun and kicked Kikyou away from him, and then he placed his boomerang on her heart.

"You die now, no pretence. You killed my sister, you die now." And then without a single hesitation he drove the tip of the boomerang through her chest, killing the dark Miko once and for all.

_It was dark where Li was, he didn't know where it was, but he knew he was alone. Memories threatened to over whelm him but he stopped them. He did the only thing he could think of, _

"_Hey, is anyone there? Listen, if you can hear me, I need help!" he called desperately. _

_A light. Then he was in a room, a bright forest room. Kyto stood before him. _

"_Little one?" he asked, Li smiled, _

"_You're alive?" he asked, Kyto shook his head, _

"_No, I am only here to give you a reason to fight. I am here to help you by the will of the Higher Spirit. Will you accept it?" he asked, Li nodded, _

"_Yes, please, I, I have to save Sara. Please, I have to!" he yelled, Kyto nodded, _

"_For love this will be a perfect gift. Perfect for love. You will become more than you were, you will become what you are meant to be." And Kyto's voice began to fade, and so did the room. And then there was only pain…_

Kanna was thrown to the ground by the attack. She hit hard, Rey ran to her, holding her to his chest, offering what protection he could against Nireku who was standing there above them.

"You die now little-" he was never able to finish. Suddenly the most powerful demonic sent they'd ever smelt hit them all at once. Nireku spun in time to see Li stand. Or was it Li?

The thing that they now saw didn't really look like the Li they all remember. He was taller, he had lost those adorable puppy dog ears to have them replaced with pointed ones, and he had huge bat like wings. He also had a tail, a long serpent like tail, he had scales on his cheek, but a pure aurora came off him. He was the most amazing thing any of them had ever seen.

"Come on then Nireku." He said coldly, and Nireku hesitated, Li didn't. He rushed the demon and attacked. With claws that glowed with a pure light, and destroyed any part of Nireku that they touched. Nireku attacked, out of his self induced stupor, and the two began to do battle like never before…

Sara's eyes opened despite the pain that was nearly taking over her senses. She watched as the new Li fought Nireku. Her eyes watered,

_Please, please let him be ok. _She thought…

Li dodged Nireku again, and this time he drove his hand through his opponent's chest.

"You'll die for what you've done!" he yelled, and threw Nireku away. Then chased after him and continued the attack, he was ready to kill Nireku one last time. Nireku fought suddenly, a blast of pure darkness came out of him. Li matched it with a blast of pure light.

The two attacks met and there was a blinding flash of light…

Li awoke, his eyes snapped open and he jumped up. His wings were gone, as was the tail, and yet he could feel them just beyond his conscious. They would be there for further use. His demonic side.

He ran to Sara, her eyes were closed, but now he could see her chest moving, she would be alright. He smiled as the most powerful wave of relief washed over him.

"Sara, oh thank god, Sara." He whispered, and held her to him tightly, and then he felt her hand on his head,

"Oi, what are you tryin to do? Suffocate me?" came her muffled voice; Li laughed and kissed her, then pulled back and said,

"Now I am!"

In the end, the fatalities could have been much worse. Amelia was dead, leaving Shippo to deal with the kits that had been his real distraction in the months before. And Sesshomaru wasn't going to be fighting for a while. A long while. Miroku was in a similar state, and Inuyasha had to sleep for two days to get his strength back.

Kouga who wasn't ever in sight during the battle had been in fact with the other packs, fighting another army of demons that would have killed everyone had they gotten through.

Anè and the other people of the hut survived without a scratch. However, Rin gave birth during the entire thing. She had a beautiful baby girl, and boy.

Li was fine, and Sara recovered.

Li sat with Sara on his lap inside her mother's house in the doorway looking out on the back yard. Shippo, with the help of his friend Suki, had brought the kits to meet the family. Suki and Shippo were just friends, Shippo wasn't over Amelia yet, but Suki was able to help with the babies to help Shippo. Miroku and Sesshomaru sat watching them all from the stairs. Kanna and Rey were in the West, taking care of things.

Inuyasha, Kagome, and Kouga all sat there in the garden, for once, all at peace. Anè was playing with one of Sara's youngest siblings, she had been all day. Rin's babies were being admired by everyone, and she beamed as did Kohaku who sat beside her.

Li watched this happy family. The family that was so unreal in its happiness.

"You are going to go then?" Asked Sara. She could read his mind.

"Yes, and you'll come?" he asked, she nodded,

"Of course, where to mate?" she asked, smiling up at him, and Li grinned,

"Well, I don't know, let's let you pick the direction shall we?" he said, she laughed, and then Tire was standing beside them, quite suddenly,

"Li, Sara, if you two leave, know that we all _will _follow you, no matter what your agenda may be, killing demons, fighting gods, we don't care, we have all decided that despite the trouble you two lead us into, we'll follow you anyway." He said calmly, Li chagrinned,

"Yeah, sometimes it ain't so great to inspire such loyalty, but hey, I'm not complaining! Ok, Sara, where to?" he asked, Sara smiled,

"Some place called home sounds nice." She whispered to him. He smiled down at her and nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds good to me…"

And so Sara and Li departed that night, to avoid the sad good-byes. No one questioned them, and the two disappeared for a year.

No one knows what happened during that year, except that Sara had children, two boys. She and Li brought them back from their new home. A land in the far South.

In the end everyone seemed to find what they had been searching for, what we are all searching for…

Somewhere called home….

THE END

**Well, it has been a very long and wonderful ride with all of you, I hope you like the ending of this story, if you didn't, well tell me what was wrong with it. I will be starting two new fan fics soon, in a week or two I should have both of the first chappies up. The summaries are in my Bio, so check em out will ya please? Alright, thank you to all who have reviewed, and thank you all who didn't review but read this anyway. I love all of you and hopefully you will read more of my things in the future.**

**Yours Truly,**

**Sakura**

**Here are my thanks to the reviewers!**

**sweet-girl8270**: Thank you for the review, I love your encourage meant, and by the way, Sara is about fifteen and Li is Sixteen. However, by the end of the story Sara's right around sixteen as well.

TheLightintheDarkness: Thanks for everything you said; I really loved your review!

**LionessisRin**: Hey there LinessisRin, you have been one of my most faithful reviewers and a great friend! Kirara is off finding her family I guess, I usually don't put her in my stories now that I think about it!


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